Angel of Death II: Second Trump Death
by KuroShinigami13
Summary: ‹AU; Sequel; Pairing Spoilers Inside› Nyoko Kurogawa is faced with a choice between L and Kira. Whose side will she choose?
1. Prologue

**Title:** Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)  
**Subject:** Death Note  
**Genres:** Drama/Romance  
**Sub-genres:** Humor/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

**Front Summary:** ‹AU; Sequel; Pairing Spoilers Inside› Nyoko Kurogawa is faced with a choice between L and Kira. Whose side will she choose?

**Summary:** ‹AU; Sequel; Pairings In Separate Section› Faced with the final choice, Nyoko must decide who lives and who dies. Will she protect L, her first love and best friend, or will she allow Kira, her sworn enemy and possible fatal attraction, to attain the final victory over L? One thing is for certain: one of them must die.

* * *

Pairings: For those who want a refresher about the pairings, here it is. There is also a NEW pairing. And please remember, these are in no order.

**SPOILERS BELOW:**

LxNyoko(OC)  
Faux (fake) LightxNyoko(OC)  
One-sided NoMemories!LightxNyoko(OC)  
One-sided NearxNyoko(OC); NearxNyoko(OC) later  
One-sided LightxMisa  
One-sided Kuro(OC)xNyoko(OC)

(Note: There's one more pairing I didn't put here, but it would be a _major_ spoiler for the third addition to this series. I'd like to keep it secret.)

* * *

**Notes:** I call this AU since basically every fanfic is AU if it changes something.

Also, I changed Near and Mello's ages. Check the first fic for details.

Again, if you think my OC is a Mary-Sue, good for you. She probably is, but I'm doing the best I can.

And, one more thing:

You're going to hate me, but just hear me out.

I've been absent from this story for a long time because I keep battling with the characters. What I mean by that is that when I take on writing a fanfic for a fandom, the characters and any OCs for the fandom that I make get stuck in my head, helping me to write the story.

This is very easily done to my poor brain because I have Dissociative Identity Disorder, so the characters can literally attach to aspects of me and take on some kind of life in my head.

I know; normally, only tragic events cause personalities to form in people with DID. However, I'm an exception to a lot of the DID rules, such as that my past wasn't filled with traumatic events like rape or witnessing deaths.

Now, carrying on with the original thought, I'm having a problem with my Light persona. He wants a plot twist that doesn't make sense and is basically just a way to cause some drama. I don't really want to do it.

The below is **SPOILERIFIC**, so don't read if you don't want it spoiled. Come back and read it if you're going "wtf did you do that for?! omg, you suck!" or such as that.

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Persona!Light wants Written!Light to be in love with Nyoko(OC) after his memory loss about the Death Note. Then, when he gets his memory back, he gets all kinds of confused about his feelings and struggles with his massive ego, leaving him unable to understand if he feels something for her or not. Logically, it's hard for Light to actually love someone that much while he's in Kira mode.

So, to pacify Persona!Light, I'm taking that course, but with a compromise!

In the end, Light will tragically never know what the hell he feels about Nyoko, which means the reader can decide whether or not he loved her. In a sense, it won't really matter, but wouldn't you hate ending up never knowing if you're in love or even just have a crush on someone? I thought it was tragic. That was the only good way I could spin it that satisfied Persona!Light.

But, because of this, Nyoko(OC) ends up as more of an MS. Arrrgh.

I had to compromise or Persona!Light would never have let me get on with the story, though.

You may hate and flame me for this part of the fic. I hate myself, too.

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**END SPOILER**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Augustus Gloop likes chocolate. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Welcome to the second story in my series!

Btw, I must announce my love for Matsuda. He's totally my second favorite character of the series. He's just adorable and I want to huggles him.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Prologue - First Trump (Life)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- Even the original owners of the Death Note, gods of death, do not know much about the note._

* * *

Matsuda opened the door to the room where Ryuuzaki and the others had been watching Misa on the monitor, revealing Light in the doorway. In the room were all the men on the task force, Musiko absent.

The young brunette walked into the room, all those present silent.

He broke the silence, "Ryuuzaki... Like I said over the phone... I _could_ be Kira."

His father's eyes widened in shock, Soichiro running over to the young man, hands to his shoulders.

"No, Light!" he shouted, shaking his son by the shoulders. "What are you _talking_ about?! Why would you even _say_ something like that?! _Why_?"

Ryuuzaki watched the exchange, '_There's no real __**proof**__ that Light Yagami __**is**__ Kira, so why come here to announce that you __**could**__ be Kira?_'

'_...It's an act,_' the detective concluded.'_There's no '__**could be**__' about it; you __**are**__ Kira._'

'_What do you hope to __**accomplish**__ by this?_' pondered the raven-haired man.

"Look, dad," Light said, not meeting his father's intense gaze. "If Ryuuzaki is L, then it's safe to say that he's the world's best detective, and right now he seems pretty sure that I'm Kira."

He turned his gaze to Ryuuzaki, then closed his eyes as he spoke, "We know L's never been wrong _before_."

"Wh-What are you _saying_, Light?!" his father demanded. "Stop this!"

"What about that FBI agent?" the young man questioned. "Raye Penber. It was _me_ he was investigating _immediately_ before he died, and I was in Aoyama on May twenty-second."

"Also," added the brunette with a feigned solemn attitude, "I'm the first person in the Konto region that _Misa_, the alleged _second_ Kira, approached."

"It's _all_ been _me_," he asserted. "If I were in L's place, even _I_ would have come to the same conclusion."

Light opened his dark eyes.

"Ya see," he began, lifting his hands and staring down into his palms, "subconsciously, I might _be_ Kira. If that were the case, I could be him and not even _know_ it."

Soichiro watched his son, still shocked by his words, muttering, "No, Light..."

'_**I see**__,_' the detective realized as he watched the younger man. '_So you're not __**conscious**__ of it, huh?_'

"I... I'm not sure of anything anymore," Light gave his faux confession, shaking his head. "I'd never _kill_ someone, but... _unconsciously_, who _knows_ what I'm capable of? Another me could be killing people as I sleep."

"I'm _afraid_ that's not possible," Ryuuzaki intervened, refuting the young man's theory, now turned away and looking forward from his seat.

"_Not possible_? What do you mean?" asked Light, looking up to the detective.

Ryuuzaki's eyes gazed to the side in Light's direction, "Well, I never mentioned this to you, but at one point I had hidden surveillance cameras installed in your room for five days."

Light pretended to be surprised, eyes wide, "_Cameras_?"

"Yes," the raven-haired man confirmed. "Every single night, you slept normally; criminals whose names were broadcast were still dying, even though you would have had no way of knowing about them. But this didn't prove your innocence to me; all it _proved_ was that if you were Kira, no amount of camera surveillance would reveal that fact."

"Wouldn't _reveal_ that fact, huh?" Light mocked carefully, then stuttered slightly as he carried on his act. "I-I don't know; it _could_ be true."

He placed his hand to his forehead as if every thought he had was merely confusing him, his acting now much better in his mind than the time Musiko had told him to take acting lessons. For this, he mentally commended what he thought to be an award-worthy performance.

"I have to admit," he added, hand falling slightly, "I've found myself thinking that... some criminals deserve to die. If I can think like Kira, then how can I be sure... that I'm not actually him?"

"Hold on, Light!" Matsuda interrupted. "I feel exactly the same way."

He walked up behind the brown-haired young man, explaining himself, "I've found myself thinking before that some people would be better off dead."

"But still, that doesn't mean we're gonna go out and _kill_ people," the brown-eyed officer insisted. "Isn't that right? Besides, criminals were still being killed even while you had _no knowledge_ of them. I mean, the surveillance cameras _proved_ it, _didn't they_?!"

"Well, no," Aizawa informed his colleague. "Because we were short of investigators then, we only watched him while he was at home... Truth is, we weren't able to watch him every hour of the day. It's _possible_ he could have found some way to kill those criminals while he wasn't at home."

Ryuuzaki picked up his cup of tea, thinking the situation over, '_This was premeditated; it's no __**accident**__ you chose to do this now..._'

'_Well, what if we __**incarcerate**__ you for a while; __**imprison**__ you like we did Amane?_' the raven-haired detective pondered, one bare foot rubbing the other. '_If criminals whose names were made public keep __**dying**__... then it would lead us to think that you're innocent, __**right**__? Is __**that**__ how you imagined it?_'

"Honestly, I don't like the way that this is going at all," announced Ryuuzaki. "But what _choice_ do I have? Let's do it."

Soichiro gasped, still unwilling to believe his son could consciously or subconsciously be Kira.

"I need you to fully restrain Light Yagami," the detective continued, thumb to his lips, "and place him in solitary confinement."

"What?!" the Chief shouted. "You can't--!"

"You want us to... _confine_ him?" Matsuda asked with equal shock. "_Seriously_?"

Ryuuzaki replied, "If we're gonna do this, then it _has_ to happen immediately. From this point on, you can't be allowed to go anywhere where I can't see you."

"This is crazy!" Soichiro exclaimed, walking towards the back of Ryuuzaki's chair. "There's no _way_ my son could be Kira! My son's not _capable_ of--"

"It's okay, dad," Light said quietly, as if in defeat.

"Stop this, Light," his father demanded.

"Listen," the young man said. "Something has to be _done_ about this. As long as I'm having these doubts, I can't work with you to catch Kira."

"But, Ryuuzaki," Light turned his attention to the detective, "promise me this: until you can say with absolute certainty that I'm _not_ Kira, you cannot set me free no matter _what_ I might say _or_ what _condition_ I might be in."

"You have my word," the raven-haired detective promised, then looked up toward Soichiro. "Mister Yagami, can you come up with some sort of _excuse_ for Light's absence - something to tell your family? _And_... please do it now."

"But... this is all so _sudden_! What should I say?" the Chief questioned, overwhelmed. "And I see no reason why he should be in prison."

"Let it go, dad," Light urged his father, looking over to him. "If I don't do this, I won't be able to live with myself."

"But, son, do you really _mean_ that?"

"Yeah," confirmed the Superintendent's son. "I believe that by giving up my very _freedom_, I'll defeat this fear that Kira lurks within me."

The young man then looked toward Ryuuzaki, "But before I do this, I need to speak to Musiko."

"_What_?" his father asked incredulously at what appeared to be his son's final request before imprisonment, the man obviously never having been fond of his relationship with the woman.

Ryuuzaki replied reluctantly as he took out his cell phone, "Granted."

The detective dialed Musiko, who answered the phone.

"I need you now, as quickly as possible," he informed her, then hung up upon her agreement.

* * *

Musiko walked into the room, noticing everyone looking so serious and grave.

"Great. Who died _now_?" she asked oh-so-tactfully, moving further into the room.

"Musiko," Light said, catching her attention, the singer turning to face him with an inquisitive look.

He walked over to her, a hand to her shoulder, "I'm going to be confined to decide once and for all if I'm Kira."

"I figured it would come down to something like this," she replied, faking sympathy and attempting a small, supportive smile. "I've had my doubts at times, but now I can say for certain that I _know_ you'll be cleared, Light."

He smiled back, mind racing, '_When I lose my memories, I won't be able to __**pretend**__ I love her, but maybe I'll __**remember**__ all those times with her and be able to pull this off without making her think I was __**lying**__ all this time... It's a shot in the dark, but __**worth**__ it._

'_So, playing the part of her __**lover**__,_' he coached himself inwardly, eyes never leaving Musiko's midnight blue orbs, '_I should obviously kiss her __**goodbye**__, but... everyone's in the room..._'

'_**Damn**__ it,_' the young man cursed the situation.'_But I __**have**__ to._'

Light eliminated the short distance between himself and the songstress, his lips meeting hers as his other hand rested to her neck, the two sharing a deep kiss for a few moments before both parties mutually parted.

"_Light_!" Soichiro shouted with disgust and horror at his son kissing that infernal woman.

The young man ignored his father's indignant cry, eyes still locked with Musiko's as he spoke, "I love you."

"I love you, _too_, Light," the singer sent back the hollow words with a feigned warmth and loving smile.

"_But_, Misa Amane just said he was _her_ boyfriend," Matsuda stated with confusion, trying to figure out what was going on.

Musiko looked over to him, "Yeah, I _know_ about her. It's an open relationship for now."

She then returned her gaze to Light with a smile as her hand fiddled with his shirt in a manner that conveyed the desired effect, falsely expressing that she didn't want to let the young man go.

"We can see other people," the woman explain, "though I hadn't really taken up that part of the deal _myself_."

Shrugging, she looked back to Matsuda as her hand fell from Light, "_Why_?"

"Oh, I just thought..." the officer trailed off.

Musiko nodded, then stepped away from Light, saying her goodbyes, "Goodbye for _now_, then, Light."

* * *

The next day, Light now in confinement, Musiko played the part of the worried lover, much to Ryuuzaki's dismay. Had he not been needed to watch the monitors at all possible times, he would have taken her aside and confronted her about taking her already unfavorable plan one step further.

Even as he diligently watched the screens, his mind replayed their parting scene, picking apart every word, look and movement in an attempt to find out where the truth ended and the lies began.

So far, he had only deduced so brilliantly that Musiko was in over her head.

It was also on this day that it was decided that Soichiro Yagami would _also_ be kept in confinement, which Ryuuzaki had predicted beforehand.

Musiko had then sympathized and assured Soichiro that his son would definitely be cleared, to which the older man had actually thanked her, genuinely happy to hear such from someone, including _her_.

Perhaps his opinion of Musiko would be slightly altered.

* * *

Day two of confinement came and Musiko sat in her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Kuro had noticed her behavior of late and knew she was impatient and restless.

"Perhaps I could locate the hidden Death Note," he offered in an attempt to somehow lift her spirits.

"No, thanks," the singer turned down his offer. "I don't feel like wandering all over the Konto region on a wild goose chase, especially with how it's been raining lately... It's like an ill _omen_ of some kind for someone else."

He licked his fangs, trying to think of something to occupy her time, "You could always keep the one called L company."

"_Well_, I don't want to bother him," she reasoned, brow furrowing, "and there's the little problem of tension between us ever since Light and I had our little _goodbye_ scene... I don't think he's too happy with my announcement of being in an open relationship with Light, although I can't _fathom_ why it concerns him so damn much."

Kuro sighed, not aware of anything more he could suggest.

* * *

Day three and day four passed, day five of confinement upon them, the rain finally having ended on the fourth day.

On day five, Ryuuzaki spoke to Soichiro who looked the worst off of those in confinement, but he refused to move to better accommodations, Musiko leaving the room on that note.

Matsuda then sympathized with her, though Aizawa couldn't share his sentiments.

And, in all these days, Kira _still_ had not killed a single criminal.

* * *

On the seventh day, the rain returned, Musiko staring out the window and growling with frustration.

"How long is this going to _take_?" she demanded of no one in particular. "I _hate_ waiting! I feel so useless just sitting in my room, counting the minutes."

Sighing deeply, she returned to her bed, "I might as well go back to sleep."

* * *

It was on this same day that Light said the magic phrase, giving up ownership of his Death Note.

Light's darkened eyes gained more color after Ryuk had left and his memories of the notebook had been erased, the young man looking around his cell.

'_Why am I __**doing**__ this?_' he asked himself. '_I don't __**belong**__ here._'


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Amy Rose likes Sonic the Hedgehog. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Chapters may come slow here on out as I'm working on two fics at once. Please be patient.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter One - Eight of Spades (Loss)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- You may also write the cause and/or details of death prior to filling in the name of the individual._

_Be sure to insert the name in front of the written cause of death._

_You have about 19 days (according to the human calendar) in order to fill in a name._

* * *

Musiko, unable to sleep, entered the room where L sat before the monitor. She simply went to a vacant chair, sitting down. Her timing, however, couldn't have been more perfect.

* * *

Light looked up to the camera that watched his every move, addressing the raven-haired detective, "Ryuuzaki, I realize that _I_ was the one pushing for confinement and that I asked you to put me in here, but I just realized something important: this whole thing's completely pointless! Because I'm _not_ Kira. You have to get me outta here!"

"Why the sudden change?" Musiko asked, faking confusion, watching the screen from the back of the room in her seat.

"I can't do that," Ryuuzaki replied to the young man. "I promised you that no matter what you said, I wouldn't let you out until I was convinced that you are _not_ Kira."

"_Please_, L," Light begged, reneging on the previous agreement. "I wasn't thinking clearly! Do you really think a serial killer like Kira could commit those crimes without being _aware_ of them?! If I have no memory of his crimes, I'm _not_ him!"

Ryuuzaki answered his thoughts, "I've never been able to accept this idea that Kira has been acting without self-awareness all this time. But that doesn't _change_ the fact that all the evidence points to _you_ being Kira."

"Since we imprisoned you," the young, raven-haired man informed Light, "Kira hasn't committed a single murder."

"_Listen_. Just hear me out," the younger man insisted. "I _swear_ to you, I'm _not_ lying. You _have_ to believe me. I am _not_ Kira! I-I must have been _framed_! That's the only explanation for this!"

'_What's __**wrong**__ with you, Light Yagami?_' Ryuuzaki's thoughts questioned of the brunette's change in attitude. '_What you're __**saying**__ is __**completely**__ absurd, but... for __**some**__ reason, it feels believable to me._'

"You _have_ to let me out!" Light desperately cried. "We're wasting time!"

"We _can't_ let you out yet," the detective replied to his pleas, denying his release yet again.

Light slumped forward in defeat, "_Damn_... Why is this happening?"

"What the hell is going on?" Aizawa asked, bewildered by the young man virtually making a three-sixty of his mind set, also clearly acting out of character. "This isn't like Light at _all_. He's contradicting himself. It doesn't make any _sense_ to me."

'_It would make __**perfect**__ sense if you remembered my analysis from the first time we __**met**__, dear Aizawa,_' Musiko thought, both aggravated and happy at his forgetfulness. '_If __**any**__ of you remember it, you could piece together that maybe Light lost his memories. But only __**Lawliet**__ will remember, and he's too confused at the moment to think of it right now. __**All**__ of that is __**perfect**__, and I didn't even __**plan**__ it to be! ...Sometimes, life really __**does**__ love me._'

"Well, we can't release him now that the _murders_ have stopped," announced Matsuda. "It doesn't matter _what_ he says. I mean, even _I_ know _that_ much."

Aizawa crossed his arms, brow furrowed, "Anyway, I don't care what _anyone_ says; as far as _I'm_ concerned, we have all the proof we need. Light Yagami is Kira and that's the end of it."

Light looked up to the camera once more, "Ryuuzaki."

The detective answered, "Yes?"

"If you can't _release_ me, at _least_ let me talk to Musiko," the young captive requested of his captor, brown eyes looking hopeful.

'_Who to the __**what**__ now?_' Musiko thought, eyebrow quirked as she was baffled by the requisition. '_Shouldn't he have __**forgotten**__ about pretending to love me?_'

Ryuuzaki hesitated before asking, "May I inquire as to _why_ you wish to speak to Miss Hanabi?"

Light looked at the camera as if the answer should be obvious, speaking rationally, "I've been confined for at least a _week_, haven't I? I think it's fair to reason that I miss my girlfriend. At _least_ let me talk to the woman I love."

Musiko's stomach did a sickening flip as she sunk in her chair, her brow furrowing and mind racing, '_Oh, no way in __**hell**__ could he possibly have been __**truthful**__ with all those dark-eyed 'I love you's' with his sinister smirks. What the __**hell**__ is __**wrong**__ with him?_'

"I suppose I see your point," Ryuuzaki replied begrudgingly, looking behind himself to Musiko.

The singer felt like she could puke from nerves at any moment, but kept her cool and got up from her chair, moving to the microphone, holding down the button.

"Hello, Light," she greeted hesitantly.

"_Musiko_? You sound nervous," Light pointed out, eyes sparkling at the camera.

She replied, "I'm just _worried_, Light."

"It's alright," the young man assured her confidently. "I _know_ I'll clear my name somehow."

"I'm sure you will; it's the _waiting_ that makes me nervous," Musiko supplied as an explanation.

He smiled what looked to be a genuine smile, commenting, "It's nice to hear your voice again... It's been a long time, babe."

'_**Babe**__?_' Musiko thought to the pet name, surprised Light Yagami would use such a term for _anyone_.

Ryuuzaki scowled at their conversation, chewing his thumb as his eyes strayed from the screen. He felt completely awkward in between what seemed like two very intimate people.

"I know," the songstress replied softly, keeping up her act. "I'm glad I can finally talk to you again."

The raven-haired detective let his eyes lazily trail over to her, watching her lips move as she leaned toward the microphone.

"When your name is cleared and you're free, we'll have a lot of _missed time_ to catch up on," the woman commented, smiling lightly.

Light smiled as well, promising, "I'll be out of here soon; don't worry... I love you, Musiko."

"I love you, too, Light," she returned softly, then said her goodbyes. "I'll see you soon."

She then stood up at full height, turning and walking away, keeping her back to the screen.

'_What the hell is __**happening**__ with him? Any ideas of pretending to love me should have been __**gone**__ when he gave up ownership of his Death Note,_' her mind raced, looking for answers. '_This was __**totally**__ unexpected and doesn't make any __**sense**__._'

Abruptly, the raven-haired woman left the room, Ryuuzaki glaring at Light's form on the screen.

'_He suddenly sounds so __**affectionate**__, as if he __**truly**__ loves her,_' the detective thought, nibbling his thumb. '_This is __**another**__ thing that doesn't make any sense._'

* * *

Later, while Ryuuzaki was alone in the monitoring room, Nyoko walked in and stood behind him, looking at the screens.

"Ryuuzaki," she said, catching his attention. "Remember my initial analysis of Kira? I _specifically_ said he may give away whatever might give him his power in order to throw suspicion off of him. For all _we_ know, whatever it was could also strip away his memories, which would explain both the sudden change in Light _and_ Misa Amane."

"Hm... Yes, that _would_ be a convenient explanation, wouldn't it?" he asked rhetorically, words laced by a bitter tone that didn't go unnoticed by the singer.

She blinked at his tone as her gaze fell to him, Nyoko asking, "Are you _mad_ at me for some reason?"

"Why do you ask?" questioned the detective, tone forcefully devoid of any bitterness.

"Your _tone_ was a rather clear indicator," the raven-haired woman pointed out. "Why not just come out with it and tell me why you're mad?"

"Light sounded very _affectionate_ earlier, don't you think?" the young man inquired, that bitter tone sinking back into his voice. "I wonder why that is... Could it possibly _be_ that he is actually _in love_ with you and _you_ with _him_?"

Nyoko scowled out his suggestion, crossing her arms as she looked away from the detective, eyes moving to the screen and watching Light.

"Don't be _ridiculous_," she retorted haughtily, outraged by the very notion. "I don't know _why_ he seems more genuine in his actions now, but I know for _damn_ sure that I am _not_ in love with him. Memories or _no_ memories, he was once, still is, and will once again be Kira. That's a very hefty deterrent, don't you think?"

"I never agreed to placing you in such a dangerous position," Lawliet pointed out, no longer sounding bitter, but rather concerned.

"Who said I needed your permission?" she quipped, turning around and marching out of the room.

* * *

Two weeks of confinement and suddenly the news was that Kira had resurfaced, killing two weeks worth of criminals.

Misa Amane claimed to have no idea who Kira was, but that she regarded him as a hero, while Light Yagami still declared his innocence, even when lied to that the killings had not commenced.

Everything was confusing to Ryuuzaki, unless he was to believe Musiko, which he couldn't do now because his newfound attachment to her unfortunately gave him a biased opinion.

'_I __**don't**__ understand what's going __**on**__ here,_' he thought, mind running wildly with information and questions, but nothing adding up into answers.

Musiko then marched into the room and announced in a determined tone, "Ryuuzaki, I'm leaving for England. My flight leaves today in five hours."

"But... Miss Hanabi, why are you _leaving_?" Matsuda asked, shocked by her sudden announcement.

"I need... a _break_, Matsuda," the woman explained, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I'll come back as soon as someone informs me that Light and the others are free and we can carry on in a proper hunt for Kira. Until then, I'll visit Near and I'll work on a new album, because _God knows_ my inspiration has given me a hell of a lot to write about."

"I believe that to be a very good idea for _both_ of us," Ryuuzaki commented, then added a comment bitingly. "I would like a break from you as well."

"Why, you son-of-a--!"

She lunged toward his chair, both Aizawa and Matsuda subduing her.

"_Please_ try to control your anger, Miss Hanabi," requested the detective with an air of superiority, "it's _very_ unbecoming."

At that comment, she struggled harder, kicking and attempting to bite her way free before she shouted, "Then I _won't_ be coming back and you can take your offer of 'permanent personal assistant' and shove it up your scrawny _ass_, you fucking _prick_!"

She abruptly jerked backward, freeing herself from the two officers.

Grinding her teeth, she turned her neck hard, a crack heard, the singer readjusting her ruffled clothing before marching out of the room and down the hall.

"_Ryuuzaki_," Matsuda muttered, surprised the detective would provoke her as he had.

"Let her go," the raven-haired man said calmly. "I don't need her."

"Ryuuzaki, I'm not exactly her biggest _fan_, but I don't think she deserves being treated so badly, _regardless_ of her _colorful_ replies," Aizawa asserted his opinion on the matter, walking out of the room.

Matsuda sighed deeply, resigning himself to the idea that no one could likely change the detective's mind.

* * *

After her plane ride to England, Nyoko Kurogawa was picked up at the airport by a limousine that took her to an underground facility. Once she was settled in a room, she was then escorted to the main office of the building, walking in to see Near with his back to her as he sat at a desk before a laptop.

"Near," she said, gaining his attention, the detective swiveling in his seat.

The young man with snow white hair gestured for her escort to leave, Near standing once the doors behind her were securely closed, leaving the two alone in the large room.

She smiled slightly, eliminating the distance between them, soon standing before him.

"I... have a lot of things to tell you," Nyoko confessed, smiling sadly. "One of them which may cost me my _life_, depending on what you decide to do about it. _But_... I feel it best that I confide in you."

* * *

Nyoko told Near every detail of her life since acquiring a Death Note up to and including the day she told Ryuuzaki she was leaving for England, the raven-haired woman leaving nothing to the imagination.

His eyes were wide by the end of her story, his finger jerkily twirling a lock of his hair.

"So, all this finally confessed, I suppose you'll want to sic L on me and have me locked up," she reasoned sadly, looking down at her hands as she leaned back in her office chair.

Near watched her, contemplating what he should do; justice was all well and good, but locking Nyoko up for her mission, albeit through evil means, to protect the man she loves was not a favorable idea, regardless of how misplaced he viewed her affection to be.

"No," he finally said, half to his thoughts and half to Musiko.

"You... _sure_ about that?" inquired the older woman, surprised he would let her roam free with a Death Note.

"Although I find your devotion to L to be misplaced," he began, finger pulling at his strand of hair, "I can sympathize enough as to say that, if I were in the same position, only with _you_ in the place of L, I would _also_ choose to use the Death Note in the same manner."

Her jaw fell a little, Nyoko unsure of what to say to that, but Near reached over and lifted her chin with a forefinger until her mouth closed softly.

"You mustn't act so surprised, considering my confession some days ago," Near reminded her.

"Yes, well... We never actually got to the bottom of that, so I didn't quite know what to think," Nyoko confessed, crossing her legs as she thought about the subject.

"To be completely honest, there's very little to discuss," he replied. "I know of your devotion to L and that I will always be second, if even _that_, to you."

"I accept that, as I always have," the young man assured the songstress sitting before him. "And... I suppose this effects my judgment in keeping your secret to myself."

She frowned slightly, "You shouldn't let that effect your judgment."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as choosing," he informed her. "This particular feeling will always effect my judgment and it has thus far been right to do so."

* * *

_Once Nyoko was functioning much better from her heartbreak after L had left the orphanage and hadn't returned to see her, Near was pleased to see her more talkative and active. She was finally smiling again, although her smile didn't reach her eyes and her eyes didn't quite sparkle like they used to. Even so, it was better than the last six months of gloom._

_Near found Musiko in the morning, finding her as she left her room._

_"Musiko," he called the girl's attention, walking over to her._

_"Hey," the young woman greeted in reply._

_"Your day is free?" he asked to confirm his information._

_She nodded, "Yeah. Why?"_

_"I arranged my class work this week so that today was open," explained the white-haired boy._

_"Oh, so you wanna hang out, then?" she asked with a smile._

_Musiko knew days with Near weren't terribly eventful as he preferred to spend his free time repeatedly solving the newest puzzle he could find, but that didn't mean they weren't pleasant._

_He nodded to her query, taking her by the hand and leading her off to the library._

_As usual, he found himself a puzzle, Musiko wandering around to find something to read and choosing her favorite Sherlock Holmes book before taking it to a table. Near sat nearby, beginning work on his puzzle, and there they stayed until one of the other boys wandered over to Musiko._

_"Hey, Musiko," he greeted the young woman._

_"Yeah?" she asked, looking up at the tall boy with short, brown hair and very blue eyes._

_"Me and a few guys were wondering if you'd like to ditch the library and hang out at the fence?" he inquired, speaking of the usual place that his group liked to haunt._

_She looked to Near as he returned her gaze, the raven-haired girl asked, "Should I go?"_

_"No," he replied simply without hesitation, Musiko looking up at the blue-eyed boy._

_"You heard. Sorry," she apologized politely._

_"What, is he your __**caretaker**__ or something?" the boy quipped, crossing his arms as he smirked at his own joke._

_Near looked up at him, declaring menacingly in a low tone, "No, but I __**do**__ know how to kill you using my pinky."_

_The other boy backed away and scurried off with his tail metaphorically between his legs._

_Musiko giggled as she watched him leave in the manner of a scolded puppy, the two at the table exchanging smiles._

_Such occurrences happened often, Near always chasing everyone away from her and keeping her to himself. He reasoned anyone else would hurt her, but there was also an underlying sense of jealousy, the boy unable to admit he was in love with the girl._

* * *

L sat, thinking a moment on how he did, in fact, need Musiko. Her absence had thus far decreased his sugar intake, which therefore decreased his alertness and also his ability to think.

He had to admit to himself that her absence had left him depressed.

Sighing, he flipped out his phone, not caring about Aizawa and Matsuda being in the room as he dialed Musiko's number.

It rang three times and an unexpectedly masculine voice then asked, "What are you calling her for _now_? Haven't you done enough damage in her life, L?"

L's eyes widened, the detective surprised to hear Near's voice.

"Why are you answering Musiko's cell phone?" L questioned the other detective, very curious as to the explanation.

"Your deductive reasoning skills must have decreased by at least twenty percent with her absence if you can't reason that it was on the nightstand," answered the younger detective through what sounded like a sneer.

L's eyes narrowed, "I'd reason it as fifteen percent when I take into account the fact that I completely understood what you're implying."

"Perhaps you should call when you're _thinking_ more clearly?" asked Near snidely, ready to end the conversation.

Suddenly, L heard some muttering and Nyoko's voice came on the line.

"Why are you calling, you _jerk_?" she snapped.

He scowled as he inquired without thought, "Why was your cell phone on the nightstand beside his bed?"

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Musiko asked, genuinely sounding confused. "It was on _my_ nightstand... I was in the shower and Near just came into the bedroom when you rang, so he picked it up."

Silence lingered, L trying to decide upon his next move, but Musiko broke the silence.

"Were you implying that I was sleeping in Near's _bed_, which implies we had _sex_?" she questioned the raven-haired man incredulously.

When met with guilty silence, she gritted her teeth as she replied, "You are _such_ a jerk. I didn't run off to England to fuck Near and get some fish 'n' chips, you asshole."

"Then enlighten me as to why you ran off," he retorted in a frustrated tone, the other two men in the room exchanging a brief glance and listening in.

"I ran off so you could cool down and maybe realize that you have no right to be angry with me, _regardless_ of whether or not I love Light Yagami," the singer explained in a pained voice. "Can't you see that you logically have no _reason_ to be angry?"

"Logically, all I can conclude from this particular situation is that women in general are highly confusing and frustrating," he answered honestly, gripping his pant leg with his free hand. "I care for your well-being, Musiko."

She sighed deeply, "I've been in _lots_ of dangerous situations on other cases, but this _particular_ part of this case is supposed to be off-limits? You're not making any _sense_."

"I can't think quite so clearly without you here," L replied softly, diverting from the topic at hand.

"Is that your way of summoning me back?" Musiko asked through a smirk.

"...Yes," he finally said defeatedly.

"Near _said_ you'd come crawling back, and that I'd run right back to you," the woman told him, sounding amused with the situation now. "He's _right_, on _both_ accounts. I'll get a flight out in a few days after I tie up some loose ends here."

L let out a relieved sigh, "Thank you, Musiko."

He then hung up his phone, speaking to the two men behind him, "You may stop listening now; I've hung up."

Both men discreetly backed away.

* * *

It was the fiftieth day of confinement for the two suspected Kiras and Soichiro Yagami, the whole situation reaching a fevered pitch and resulting in Ryuuzaki coaxing Soichiro into meeting with him to discuss a plan that would hopefully end the current situation.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Bill Clinton likes White House interns. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** I've decided not to write the execution scene, and I'll explain why I chose not to.

I decided to briefly overview the execution scene to downplay it somewhat. This story is mainly concerned with L and Musiko and their interactions with other characters. Focusing on this important scene is good, but it would take away from the idea I've had from the beginning on how I wouldn't show all of what Kira does.

Also, Yukisuzu roughly means snowbell, to my knowledge. If I'm wrong, pretend I'm right for the sake of the story, but you can still correct me.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Two - Four of Spades (Freedom)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- Even if you do not actually possess the Death Note, the effect will be the same if you can recognize the person and his/her name to place in the blank._

* * *

Three days later, Ryuuzaki's plan was carried out.

Both Light and Misa were taken from confinement and eventually both got into a car with Light's father driving.

Soichiro explained that he was to drive them to their execution, but then drove off into a secluded area, telling the two that he would then kill Light and then himself, having nothing against Misa.

Light and Misa, of course, were shocked and plead for their lives.

Then Soichiro pointed his gun to the young man's head and fired, but he had used a blank.

L had witnessed the entire scene via a hidden camera.

Misa and Light were then released on the grounds that if they were Kiras, Soichiro would have been killed.

And so, they were set free, but with some minor restrictions...

* * *

"Are you _sure_ this is necessary, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked, his cuffed hand lifting.

Ryuuzaki lifted his own cuffed hand, the two cuffs separated by a fairly long chain.

"This is as difficult for me as it is for you," the detective assured the brunette.

"So is this what you meant by being together twenty-four hours a day with him?" questioned the blonde model standing beside them, the young woman surveying the handcuffs before looking at the raven-haired detective. "Looking at you, I never would have guessed. Are you on _that_ side of the fence, Ryuuzaki?"

He looked over to her, "I told you, I'm _not_ doing this because I want to, okay?"

"But Light belongs to _me_!" the little woman staked her claim clamorously. "I don't _want_ to share him with you! If _you're_ with him twenty-four seven, then how are we supposed to go on _dates_ together?"

"Oh, you can still go on dates, but it'll have to be the three of us," Ryuuzaki informed her, Light watching the exchange with a sigh.

"No way! Are you telling me we have to _kiss_ in front of you and stuff?!" the young woman asked, completely outraged by the very notion.

"I'm not telling you to do _anything_, but, yes, I suppose I _would_ be watching," admitted the detective.

"Gross! You really _are_ a pervert, aren't you?" she asked accusingly, grating on everyone's nerves.

"Light, _please_ make Misa stop talking now," the raven-haired detective begged the younger man.

"Listen, Misa; that's enough," Light finally intervened, looking to the blonde. "The police have already established that it was _you_ who sent those tapes, so you're lucky to even _be_ here right now. They have _every_ right to keep you in prison."

"Huh? How could you even _say_ that, Light?" Misa asked with a concerned frown. "In case you forgot, I'm your girlfriend. Don't you trust your own _soul mate_?"

"Uh... What do you mean '_soul mate_'?" he queried in return, a bit bewildered by the woman's ideas. "_You're_ the one that said you fell in love with _me_ at first _sight_, Misa."

She gasped, tears welling up in her big, blue eyes, "So why would you kiss me if you didn't have _feelings_ for me?! You took _advantage_ of me?"

Her fists pounded against him as she repeatedly called him stupid, most of the other men in the room aggravated by the scene.

Suddenly, Light caught her small hands and looked down into her eyes, "Look, Misa; I'm sorry if I _hurt_ you, but I'm in love with someone else."

"_Wha_-?" the blonde mumbled, completely confounded with tears streaming down her face. "Tell me who it is! I'll _kill_ her!"

Light sighed deeply at the little blonde's proclamation, "You shouldn't make _death threats_, especially in front of the _police_."

"Tell me who she is!" Misa demanded again, desperate to know the name of her rival.

"I love Musiko," he finally admitted simply.

Misa gasped, only crying harder; she was shocked that her one true love would be in love with the woman who was like a big sister to her.

"About this 'love at first sight'; it happened at Aoyama on the twenty-second, didn't it?" asked Ryuuzaki, deterring them from talking about Musiko.

"So what?" Misa asked softly, staring back at the dark-eyed detective.

"Why did you choose _that_ day to go to Aoyama, and do you remember what you _wore_?" he returned in question.

She turned away from Light, answering, "It's like I told you, I just happened to go there. I don't know _why_, I don't remember how I felt, and I don't even know what I was wearing!"

"_Anyway_," Misa began, advancing on the detective, "since when do I need a reason to hang out in Aoyama, _huh_?"

"And _somehow_," Ryuuzaki concluded with a tone of wonderment, "when you came back from Aoyama, you knew that you were in love with _some guy_, and that his name was Light."

"Yes," she declared confidently, taking one firm step forward.

"And you, yourself, have no idea how you came to know his name," he finished his assessment.

"Yeah," she agreed, closing the gap between them till her face was inches from his. "So _what_?"

"Tell me," the dark-haired young man began, "what if Light _was_ Kira? How would it make you feel?"

After a sharp intake of breath, she echoed, "How would I feel if Light was Kira?"

"That's right."

In seconds flat, she returned to Light, latching onto the brunette's arm.

"Ohh, that'd be _wonderful_," she answered the detective's inquiry, rubbing her cheek to Light's captive arm. "I mean, I've _always_ been grateful to Kira for punishing the men who murdered my parents, so if I found out that Light was _actually_ Kira, that would be like a _bonus_ for me. If anything, it would make me love him even _more_, even though it's, like, practically impossible to love him more than I already do."

"It's _Kira_, though," Ryuuzaki reminded the bubbly blonde. "You'd love him even more for _that_? I mean, wouldn't you be _afraid_? What if he tried to _kill_ you?"

"You're talking about Light being Kira?" she asked, grinning and hugging Light's arm tightly. "He wouldn't be scary at _all_. I'm a _supporter_ of Kira, so if I found out my Light was _actually_ him, I'd think of how I could be helpful."

Ryuuzaki's eyes narrowed, the young detective both disgusted and trying to process facts at the same time. For one so very pretty, she was very, very stupid.

"That's very generous of you, but I'm pretty sure _Kira_ doesn't need your help," he assured the little model unkindly.

He then concluded, "Well, Misa, based on what you just told me, there can be no mistake that you _are_ the second Kira. But you've made it so painfully obvious that I don't really wanna believe it."

"Whatever!" she retorted. "It's not believable because I'm not the second Kira, _okay_?"

The blonde-haired model then stuck her tongue out at him from behind Light, still holding onto the young man's arm.

"Anyway, for the time being, you'll remain under surveillance," Ryuuzaki carried on, basically ignoring her comment. "If you _do_ go out, when needed you'll be able to contact us using this room's extension. For the most part, your life will return to normal, but from now on, for all private and work-related _affairs_, Mister Matsuda will be accompanying you as your new manager, _Matsui_..."

He rambled on, Misa ignoring him and looking at Matsuda with pursed lips.

"This old guy's my manager?" she asked of the brown-eyed man.

"What's wrong with me, Misa Misa?" Matsuda questioned, pointing to himself. "Is it the tie, 'cause I can--"

Without warning, Aizawa jumped up, hitting his hands to the coffee table before him, "Would you cut it out with all this dating, kissing, and Misa Misa talk already?! This is the _Kira_ investigation! _Stop_ messing around!"

"Sorry about that, Aizawa," Matsuda apologized, the other man looking to him from the corner of his eyes.

Through gritted teeth, he replied, "No, it's _alright_. I _just_ figured out what the problem is."

Standing fully, he walked toward Misa, pointing to the door, "Misa Amane, it's time for you to _go to your room_!"

"_Whyyy_?" she squealed.

After a small fight, he managed to shove her out and shut the door on her at last.

"_Sooo_, Light, are you _serious_ about her?" Ryuuzaki questioned the young brunette, gaze still on the door the blonde had left through.

"_No way_," Light assured him. "Like I told you earlier, it's _completely_ one-sided. I love Musiko."

Ryuuzaki turned to him, making a request, "Then could you at least _pretend_ to be serious for the sake of the investigation? There are _two_ things I know about Amane for sure. One, that she's _involved_ in this, and two... that she's in love with you."

"You want me to become intimate with her to gather information about the second Kira?" Light concluded in question.

"Yes. I think you could do it without arousing her suspicions, and Amane would _definitely_ be a valuable source of information for us. Not to mention this is the main reason why I agreed to _release_ the two of you," explained the detective.

"Ryuuzaki," Light replied sternly. "As much as I want to _help_ you, and as important as the Kira case is to me, I _can't_ manipulate a woman's _feelings_ like that."

"Please try to understand," he continued after a brief pause. "To _me_, exploiting another person's feelings for personal gain is _unforgivable_ and I won't allow myself to stoop that low."

'_There's something wrong with this picture,_' Ryuuzaki concluded to himself silently. '_It's as if he's a __**different person**__ now... Is it possible that this is an act? If this is genuine, it not only implies that Amane was being controlled by __**Kira**__, but Light Yagami, too... However, Musiko __**insists**__ that Light __**is**__ and __**was**__ Kira and that would make Misa Amane the __**second**__ Kira... Is her word truly trustworthy?_'

"Hm? What's _wrong_, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked to the older man's silence, staring at the detective.

"N-Nothing," the detective returned. "I suppose you're right, after all. _However_, considering Misa will have a lot of contact with the public, it _would_ be helpful if you could make sure she doesn't leak information."

"By the way, do you think we could come up with an alternative to this system of moving from hotel to hotel every few days?" Light inquired, looking from side to side.

"Yes!" Ryuuzaki said enthusiastically. "In fact, I had that very same thought some time ago, and _so_, I arranged for a facility to be built."

The detective then walked off towards his laptop, yanking Light along by their handcuffs.

* * *

After the men in the room got done looking over the new building, a knock came from the door in a little tune, Ryuuzaki recognizing it immediately.

"That would be Musiko," he said, Light hearing this and going to the door.

He opened it to find Musiko and someone he didn't recognize. Said person was male, almost as tall as himself, and had white hair, his eyes black and resembling Ryuuzaki's.

"Hey, Light," the singer greeted, thumb pointing to the man behind her. "This is Yukisuzu."

The two went into the room once the brunette stepped out of the way, Near coming in behind the raven-haired songstress with his hands buried in his jeans pockets.

"May I ask as to why you decided to bring _Yukisuzu_ with you?" Ryuuzaki questioned Musiko, standing from his seat.

"_Well_," she began with a smirk, "think of it as my only condition for coming back."

'Yukisuzu' smirked as well, "For now, I happen to be acting as Miss Hanabi's assistant and second manager."

Light extended his hand to the white-haired, dark-eyed man, "I'm Light Yagami, Musiko's boyfriend."

Shaking his hand, Yukisuzu noticed the younger man's added declaration, finding it slightly amusing, considering everything Musiko had told him. From the corner of his eye, he saw said woman shift uncomfortably, only further amusing him, even as he pitied her.

The white-haired detective thought to himself, '_Am I to believe that there are now __**three**__ men on this investigation that are or __**claim**__ to be in love with Nyoko?_'

Musiko was thinking along the same lines.

'_There's probably some weird chick somewhere that might think I'm the luckiest girl __**ever**__ with three guys claiming to having feelings for me,_' Musiko thought with frustration, looking from face to face, '_but this situation sucks major ass. L is __**unfathomably**__ hard to love because he's so socially inept, Light is my self-proclaimed enemy as a __**Kira**__, even though he doesn't __**remember**__ anything right now, and Near knows I'm hopelessly devoted to L and has to just act __**cool**__ with that._'

'_How can this situation get any __**worse**__?_' she asked herself with a frown. '_Light has __**got**__ to get his memories back as soon as possible or I'm going to go __**crazy**__! __**Misa**__ is already pissed at me because of Light since she wouldn't talk to me in the hallway! __**L's**__ pissed at me because he thinks I might be screwing Near __**and**__ Light, and that I might even be __**in love**__ with Light. And Near is pissed at L because of __**me**__!_ '

'_I'm __**seriously**__ going to have a meltdown,_' her mind groaned.

* * *

A few days later, everyone had moved into the new facility.

"Good morning," Aizawa said to Soichiro and Matsuda, walking into the main room of the new building.

The other officers turned in their seats before a large monitor to find Aizawa carrying his pants and suit jacket.

"What's wrong?" questioned Soichiro, looking to the band-aid on the other man's forehead. "Did you get _hurt_?"

"Oh, _this_?" Aizawa asked, touching the band-aid. "Kind of. Ha... I had a little _fight_ with my _wife_ and... It's just that my _daughter's_ still young and I'm hardly ever at home as it is, _so_..."

"Ah. Yes," the Chief replied, able to sympathize with his situation. "It's probably best if you sleep at home."

Matsuda looked up to Aizawa, saying, "Well, you're going to be _missing out_... The rooms in this place are _amazing_. If _I_ were you, I'd just move the whole _family_ in here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the other officer muttered, brushing off his remark. "That's easy for _you_ to say as a bachelor."

Aizawa then looked around, asking, "Where are they?"

"Oh, Misa Misa and Light are sort of on a date," Matsuda answered his inquiry, turning to the monitor. "Last we checked, all _five_ of them were up in Misa Misa's room."

One of the screens changed, displaying a visual of the five.

A grumpy-looking Misa and a bored Light sat on the couches in the room, opposite on another, while Ryuuzaki sat beside Light, eating another sugary product. Beside Misa was Musiko who was playing with her Nintendo DS Lite with intense concentration, Yukisuzu on the floor beside where she sat, continually solving a Rubik's cube he'd no doubt brought along to occupy his time.

"_Man_," Misa complained with a frown from where she leaned back on the couch. "This has gotta be the lamest date I've ever been on."

"At least you don't get followed every time you try to go to the _bathroom_," Musiko remarked, giving Yukisuzu a glare before returning her eyes to her handheld.

Yukisuzu smirked to himself, one finger twirling a strand of his snow white hair, suggesting in the blonde's direction, "Perhaps Musiko and I should leave?"

Truthfully, the white-haired detective would rather spend his time alone with Musiko in comfortable silence than with two _truly_ evil Kiras, regardless of their lost memories, and his arch rival in the matter of love.

"_Please_," interjected Ryuuzaki, effectively sweeping the other detective's idea under the rug and looking to Misa with his fork in his mouth, "pretend we're not even here."

"By the way," he added, pointing to the plate in front of her, "are you gonna eat that piece of cake?"

"Cake makes you fat; I'm not gonna eat any," the blonde replied.

"Actually, I find that you _don't_ gain any weight as long as you burn calories by using your brain," Ryuuzaki informed her matter-of-factly.

"Hmph! So now you're calling me _stupid_?!" she asked, leaning forward as the detective's words had incited her anger. "_Fine_, then! I'll give you the piece of cake as long as you agree to leave me and Light alone and that Musiko and, uhh... the white-haired guy go _with_ you!"

Yukisuzu looked up, "The name is Yukisuzu. Shall I write it down for you?"

Musiko squeaked out an amused chuckle, then covered her mouth with one hand and ducked her head, hiding behind the small DS Lite in her hands.

The young, white-haired detective simply smirked in her direction.

"Even if I leave you two alone, I'm still going to be watching on surveillance cameras," the raven-haired detective told the blonde model, ignoring the others, "so it wouldn't make any difference."

Misa squealed back, "You _pervert_! Could you _stop it_ with your creepy _hobby_?"

"You can call me whatever you like," he replied, unfazed by her name-calling, one foot on the couch and one to the coffee table as he confiscated her piece of cake. "Last chance for cake!"

"Okay, then," the model decided, sneering. "I'll just close the curtains and turn off the lights."

"We _have_ infrared cameras in here as well," Ryuuzaki informed her.

Misa simply growled in reply.

Light looked over to the detective, "What's _wrong_ with you? I thought moving here was supposed to help us _catch_ Kira, but since we've _been_ here, you don't seem all that motivated to me."

"Not motivated?" Ryuuzaki repeated. "You're right. Actually, I'm depressed."

"_Depressed_? What for?" the brunette asked incredulously.

"Well," the older man replied, taking a bite of cake, "all this time I thought that you _were_ Kira and my entire case _hinged_ on that fact. I guess I just can't get past the fact that my deduction was wrong."

"_Although_, having _said_ that," he continued, "I'm still suspicious of you."

"That's why we're wearing these," the detective said, lifting up his cuffed hand that held his fork briefly. "And we _also_ know that Kira can control peoples' actions, which means it was highly likely that Kira was controlling _your_ actions so that I would suspect you."

"If I assume both you and Misa were being controlled by him, then everything we've observed so far makes a lot more sense to me," concluded the raven-haired man.

"If _that's_ what you think, Misa and I were _both_ Kira during the time we were being controlled, right?" Light asked, arms crossed.

"Yes," the detective confirmed. "I don't think I could've been _wrong_ about that. The two of you... are Kira."

"If what I'm thinking is correct," he carried, addressing Light and thinking back to their confinement, "when your confinement _began_ you _were_ Kira. I don't believe it's _coincidence_ that as soon as you were imprisoned, all the killings stopped. Until _then_, everything pointed to _you_ being Kira."

"But after two weeks, criminals _actually_ began dying again," the detective reviewed. "Based on that evidence, I can _only conclude_ that... Kira's power _passes_ between people."

"That's an interesting idea," Light commented, "but, if it's _true_, it'll be nearly _impossible_ for us to _catch_ Kira."

"Yes," agreed Ryuuzaki with a frown. "That's why I'm overwhelmed. _Even_ if we catch someone under his _control_, they'll likely lose their powers and any memory of their crimes, so in the _end_, pursuing them becomes futile."

Light replied, "But at _this_ point, we have no way of knowing if that's the case. Cheer up, would ya?"

"Cheer up?" the raven-haired detective repeated, briefly looking to the younger man. "No. I'm sorry; I can't. It's probably better if I just stop _trying_ so hard..."

He tugged at his bottom lip, staring up at the ceiling, "By chasing Kira so _desperately_, we're just putting our lives at risk for _nothing_... Yes. It's just a waste of time."

Light stood, Musiko, Yukisuzu, and Misa looking up to him at the sudden movement.

"Ryuuzaki," the brunette said, said detective looking over only for the brunette to punch him in the face.

The force of the hit knocked Ryuuzaki back, Light stumbling along with him because of the handcuffs.

Meanwhile, Misa jumped up with a scream and Musiko pocketed her DS Lite, then went to the other end of the room in an attempt to stay clear of the two men, Near following beside her all the while.

Ryuuzaki sat up just as Misa stepped in the piece of cake that had tragically fallen to the floor.

"Ya know, that really hurt," commented the dark-eyed detective, looking to Light Yagami.

"That's _enough_!" Light announced. "You don't feel like doing anything... _just_ because your _genius_ deduction was wrong and I'm _not_ Kira?"

"Fine," said Ryuuzaki, rubbing his lips to the side of his hand. "Perhaps I phrased that the wrong way. I _meant_ it would be pointless for us to make a _move_, so we _shouldn't_ even bother."

"If we don't chase Kira, he'll never be caught!" the brunette declared. "Is _that_ what you want?"

"If you were just gonna give up, then _why_ did you involve all of those innocent people?" Light demanded, walking over to the detective and gripping his shirt collar, lifting him up. "_More importantly_, what was the point of putting Misa and me behind bars?"

"And what was the point in bringing _Musiko_ into this entire situation in the _first_ place?" the younger man interrogated the dark-haired detective. "You could have gotten her _killed_!"

"And for _what_; all for you to admit _defeat_?" he questioned angrily.

"I understand," Ryuuzaki replied quietly. "But still... _whatever_ the reason..."

The detective suddenly pulled back, his leg coming up, foot connecting with Light's face and knocking the younger man backward.

"An eye for an eye, my friend," Ryuuzaki concluded.

The force of Ryuuzaki's kick knocked Light backward, the detective at the other end of the handcuffs helplessly dragged until both flew into the couch near the others, knocking it over backwards.

The young, raven-haired genius recovered, saying, "It's not my deduction that was wrong. The _fact_ is, I can say that Light Yagami is Kira and Misa Amane is the _second_ Kira, but it _won't_ be enough to _solve_ the case, and that's why I'm a little depressed.

"Is that _so_ unreasonable?" he inquired of the younger man.

"Yes," Light replied firmly, getting up. "Yes, it is. _Besides_, you should _hear_ yourself. It's as if you won't be satisfied unless I _am_ Kira."

"I won't be satisfied unless you're Kira," the detective repeated, thinking those words over. "Well, there _may_ be some truth to that... In fact, now that you mention it, you're right. I think I _wanted_ you to be Kira."

'_For a __**myriad**__ of reasons, Light Yagami, one such reason involving __**my**__ Nyoko,_' he thought just before Light's fist collided with his face once again, the detective keeping his ground this time.

The two now stood, Ryuuzaki growling, Light's fist still in his face.

"As I said before, an eye for an eye," the young, raven-haired man reminded. "I'm a _lot_ stronger than I look, ya know."

The detective spun around, kicking Light in the face once more.

Suddenly, Misa had a bright idea and shoved Musiko out into the middle of their fight, calling to the singer, "Do something!"

"What the _hell_?!" Musiko cried, stumbling towards the two men, Yukisuzu attempting to catch onto her shirt, but just barely missing.

Light and Ryuuzaki managed to accidentally position Musiko in the middle, unfortunately for her. Said woman held up her arms so that she made fists near her cheeks, her first gut instinct causing her to duck, narrowly escaping Light's incoming fist.

Unfortunately, her presence intercepted Ryuuzaki's split-second reaction, which was to crouch and attempt to kick his opponent's legs out from under him. Needless to say, he instead tripped Musiko, who went sailing forward, arms outstretched as if to surrender.

Instead of falling flat on her face, however, she bounced off of the chain connecting Light and Ryuuzaki's cuffs, grabbing onto it for support, but unfortunately falling toward a still-crouching Ryuuzaki.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Ryuuzaki had tried to crawl backward, but as Musiko yanked the chain, Light came sailing forward. The brunette knocked into Musiko and sped her epic decent until she fell completely on top of Ryuuzaki, the pair's lips accidentally locking.

Somehow, Light ended up sitting on Musiko's back, effectively making a Musiko sandwich with Ryuuzaki.

Quickly, Light got up, and soon everyone's eyes were on Musiko and Ryuuzaki's kiss.

In the background, Misa cheered for the two, while Light merely looked astonished. Yukisuzu simply glared at the other detective. As for the pair themselves, Musiko's eyes were as wide as saucers as she stared at Ryuuzaki, said young man's eyes matching her own.

He regained composure before Musiko, but to everyone's surprise, including those watching on surveillance, Ryuuzaki simply closed his eyes and deepened the kiss.

Pulling back, Musiko broke away from his lips, moving away from him and sitting on her own. Standing, she brushed unseen dirt from her clothing before looking around the room at all four faces, all sets of eyes trained on her.

"_What_?" she asked, bewildered as she looked between them all.

Light coughed into his fist before speaking, "Forgive me, Musiko. I never intended to throw a punch at you."

Musiko sighed, relieved that the topic was back on comfortable ground.

"I understand, Light," the young woman replied with a soft smile. "It was my fault for freezing up and getting myself stuck in the middle."

Taking in a deep breath, she added, "I'm just gonna _go_ now..."

Turning, she scurried out of the room, Yukisuzu hurriedly following along.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Milton Waddams likes his stapler. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** The first scene isn't filler, I assure you. It's there to answer the question of how Light addresses having three girlfriends and also tells you the gist of how Misa and Musiko first met.

Also, I hope my chapters continually remind you that the whole love square with Musiko is, in fact, _not_ ideal. That, I think, makes it more realistic, even though I've obviously pushed it by pushing the plot in this direction. Hopefully, I've put the idea in where appropriate and haven't shoved it down your throat. Tell me if I have.

Flames will be used to light my fireplace. Constructive criticism, however, is always welcomed.

Also, if you haven't noticed yet, I have a different analogy in each chapter's disclaimer. Tee-hee.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Three - Ten of Spades (Defeat)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- The Death Note will not effect those under 780 days old._

* * *

A few weeks later, Misa was off modeling for some magazine and Light managed to coax Musiko into spending some time with him, much to Ryuuzaki's chagrin.

The brunette managed to arrange the whole affair so that only Ryuuzaki, because of the handcuff situation, would be allowed to eavesdrop.

Light sat on a couch with Ryuuzaki on the other end, Musiko sitting on a couch across from them behind a coffee table.

She was holding a lukewarm cup of coffee, recounting her tale of meeting Misa Amane for the first time.

"So my handler gets _her_ autograph, Misa's handler gets _my_ autograph, and they both take to one another, leaving me and Misa to fend for ourselves," Musiko explained, smiling slightly at her fond memories. "I told her I was bored of posing all day, so I asked her if she wanted to pull some pranks on the set... We scared the set director, TP'd the photographer's equipment, and we pulled off a mayo and feathers trick, but we were caught red-handed..."

"Misa held the bag of feathers and I held a mayo jar," she said, shrugging slightly with a guilty grin. "The photographer snapped a pic, showed our handlers and we exchanged numbers before we were dragged off our separate ways... _That's_ how I met Misa."

She sat down her coffee cup, sitting up and crossing her legs.

"We kept in touch and briefly did a series of comedy cooking shows together, which were aimed at pre-teens," the singer continued. "I was always helping her with getting picked on because she's not very fast with comebacks most of the time. But I liked her because she was always very nice, even though she was a bit too _idealistic_ for my tastes..."

"The poor girl probably thinks," she began with a smirk, clasping her hands together and holding them against her chest in an imitation of Misa as she batted her eyes, "Kira is _kind_ to those with pure hearts."

Light smirked back at the very true imitation, Ryuuzaki smiling a little.

She laughed lightly, "She doesn't understand the concept of _law_ and _karma_. And once she gets an idea in her head, there's very little you can do to change her mind."

"But let's talk about _you_ and the nagging question of how you ended up with three girlfriends at once," Musiko pointed out in Light's direction, very interested to hear his idea of how he could do such a thing.

The young brunette sighed, crossing his arms as even Ryuuzaki looked to him for an answer.

"You don't know _either_, _do_ you?" Musiko inquired with a half grin.

The brunette gave a nod, "The only possible explanation is that Kira controlled my actions."

Musiko crossed her arms, giving him a look, "Yes. Now we can all just say 'Kira made me do it,' can't we?"

Light sighed once more, "It's... It's not _like_ that."

"_I know_, _I know_," she brushed him off, holding up a hand to stop his explanation. "I understand the reasoning, but how are you going to right the situation?"

"I'll just have to tell them the truth," he concluded simply.

"That's a _start_, I guess," the singer said, shrugging.

* * *

By the end of their date, Light had dragged Ryuuzaki to the door, said brunette attempting to kiss Musiko, but having the chain to his handcuff jerked so that he stumbled backward.

He looked sharply at the raven-haired detective, both he and Musiko expectantly looking to him for an explanation.

"As long as we're handcuffed together, _Light Yagami_," Ryuuzaki began, looking to the younger man and raising his cuffed hand, "I would prefer that you refrain from _touching_ Musiko."

"Well, I don't think that's your _call_, _Ryuuzaki_," replied the other man, crossing his arms and looking to Musiko.

Musiko shifted uncomfortably, mind reeling, '_Why is Lawliet __**acting**__ like this? Is he still being stubborn about __**my**__ choice method for staying close to Kira? ...He __**knows**__ my take on this, so why is he trying to keep us apart? Is it just his leftover need to __**protect**__ me like when we were kids?_ '

"I agree that it's not your call," she added, slightly glaring at the detective. "But if it makes you _that_ uncomfortable for some _unknown reason_, I suppose I'll choose to refrain until those _handcuffs_ come off."

"Is that alright with _you_, Light?" asked the songstress, looking up at the brunette with a slight smile.

"Of course," Light acquiesced softly with a nod. "Good night, Musiko."

"Good night," she returned, watching them leave the room, the woman shutting the door behind them.

Happily enough, there were no surveillance cameras placed on her floor by Ryuuzaki's orders, so she leaned her back to the door and sighed deeply, addressing her Shinigami.

"What am I going to _do_ about this mess, Kuro?" she questioned him, shaking her head. "Light _thinks_ he loves me, Near _loves_ me, and L simply has strong, _protective_ feelings toward me... What's a girl supposed to do?"

Kuro chuckled, "You _are_ quite popular on the task force these days, Mistress."

"Too bad it's in such a complex, messed up manner," the singer said with a laugh. "I think Light needs to get his memories back, L needs to realize he's _not_ my bodyguard, and Near has to realize that I'm devoted to _L_... But none of those solutions can come easily."

* * *

A few days later, Musiko wandered into the main room of the facility, slips of paper in her hand.

"Okay, listen up!" she called out, everyone stopping what they were doing to look at the raven-haired woman. "I've got tickets to my performance at a concert hall for two months and one day from now. I have _ten_ tickets. Who wants one?"

Matsuda walked over, "I'll go!"

She handed him a ticket.

After strolling over, Near was given a ticket as well.

"Anyone else?" she asked, looking around.

L and Light lifted their cuffed wrists, not even having to explain as Musiko walked over, "If you both want to go, you _have_ to lose the handcuffs, if only for that night."

L chewed his thumb, thinking it over before answering, "As long as Light will remain with Yukisuzu and Matsuda at all times, it shouldn't be a problem."

"_Great_," the woman replied with a smile.

She then handed them each their ticket, warning, "Lose these tickets and you'll regret having been born; it took me _forever_ to get them."

Turning away, the young woman complained, "It's _ridiculous_ how hard getting tickets to my own performance is."

"Anyone else?" she asked, looking around once more. "Going once, going twice... Time. The rest will be pawned."

"Shouldn't you invite Misa?" Light inquired, remembering that the model and songstress were friends.

Musiko sighed, answering, "She has it in her head that I'm her _enemy_ now. I don't think she wants to go."

She turned around, waving as she left, "I have tickets to sell. Later."

* * *

Two months passed of dates between Light and Musiko and Misa cornering Light at every corner no matter how many times he insisted he wasn't interested, Ryuuzaki always having to accompany them.

Little of note happened until Light's diligent work turned up something useful.

* * *

Light sat at the desk in the main room, typing away on a laptop as Ryuuzaki sat in a chair in his usual way not far from his left.

The detective was turned away from his own laptop, quietly watching Near and Nyoko where they sat on a couch at the front of the room. Near's arm was around her and she rested her head to his shoulder.

The white-haired detective and the raven-haired singer were simply reading together, but Ryuuzaki couldn't seem to pay attention to anything else. He was still worried that she was sleeping with Near, but he couldn't _do_ anything because he didn't want to admit his feelings to Nyoko.

The detective even wondered if she might be better off in Near's care, but he pushed that thought aside, deciding not to give up just yet.

Still, there was the problem of admitting to Nyoko that he was in love with her and had really never _stopped_ loving her to begin with.

Relationships were so foreign that he felt he might need an instruction manual to maintain one properly.

If she still loved him - which he reasoned she probably did or else she wouldn't keep helping him - then why didn't she just _act_ like it? If he was wrong and she _didn't_ love him anymore, was she in love with Light? Or maybe she loved Near.

'_This seems to be a case of its __**own**__,_' Ryuuzaki thought, rather melancholy about the situation.

If it were true that she still loved him, and he confessed his love for her - assuming they would then be in a relationship, since that seemed to be how these things worked - how should he react to Light and Near claiming to love his girlfriend?

'_Logically, I would then be __**wary**__ of both Light Yagami and Near,_' he reasoned. '_But why would Nyoko choose __**me**__ if she could be with __**either**__ of them? I'm sure it's become very __**apparent**__ to her that I'm socially inept._'

He frowned at his train of thought, Light's voice fortunately breaking it.

"Ryuuzaki," Light said, catching the detective's attention. "I know you're not feeling up to it, but come over here for a second."

Ryuuzaki wheeled his chair over, the brunette continuing, "Take a _close_ look at this. It _can't_ be coincidence."

The detective's eyes widened as he looked at the data on Light's computer, "Huh?"

"All of them were prominent businessmen - _CEOs_ whose companies are _leaders_ in their respective industries," he went on to say. "In _just_ over a month, they _all_ died of heart attacks. As expected, there's been a general _downturn_ in the market, with the exception of _Yotsuba_."

"In _other_ words," explained the brunette, "their _deaths_ have worked in Yotsuba's favor. Looking back, there've been _thirteen_ similar deaths in the past three months."

He then looked over to the detective, "Your thoughts? Based on this, I can only conclude that Kira is _supporting_ Yotsuba."

"Ah, could be. But if what you're saying is _true_, we can assume that punishing criminals is _not_ this Kira's real intent," Ryuuzaki answered, studying the data.

"Right," Light agreed. "Punishing criminals is a _diversion_ for him. It _obscures_ the fact that he's _actually_ killing people for the benefit of his company."

The brunette smiled, laughing lightly, "Are you... feeling a bit more motivated _now_?"

* * *

Later, the Chief and Mogi came into the main room.

"Hey, Chief. Oh, you _too_, Mogi," Matsuda called to the other two officers. "I've got some _great_ news. This is _amazing_. I'm not even sure _how_ he figured it out, but Light has a theory that Kira is somehow involved with the _Yotsuba_ group. Can you _believe_ it?"

From the front corner of the room on the couch, Musiko smiled at Matsuda's characteristic excitement.

"Yotsuba?" the Chief asked.

"Uhh, yes," Matsuda answered in confirmation.

Soichiro put a hand to the younger man's shoulder, "That's probably it. Good work."

His hand fell as he announced, "We just spoke with the Director, and it seems Kira's offered _bribes_ to a number of politicians. Kira made an offer that as long as the NPA agrees _not_ to pursue him anymore, he won't target any politicians. So that's that. The police caved in to him."

A collective gasp was heard in the room, both Ryuuzaki and Light looking back to the others.

"Mogi and I have already made up our minds on this," Soichiro informed them, looking to the other two officers. "Aizawa, Matsuda, if you wish to continue working this case, you'll have to hand in your letter of resignation to the NPA, just as Mogi and I are going to do."

"Like it or not," he concluded, "you _cannot_ pursue Kira as a member of the police force anymore."

"Wh-- H-Hold on a second, Chief," stuttered Aizawa, shocked at this news and its connotations.

"They made it _quite_ clear," Soichiro reaffirmed. "If you _continue_ to work with L, you'll be fired. That's all there is to it."

"So, then, Chief, you're gonna..." Matsuda trailed off.

Soichiro answered his unfinished thought, "In a few hours, I'm no longer going to be your Chief. _However_, we _all_ have our _own_ lives, so think it over carefully."

"That's true, Chief," Matsuda agreed, "especially if you've got a _family_ to support."

"If you want _my_ opinion, you'd be better off as police officers," Ryuuzaki gave his thoughts. "I was _alone_ when I started this case, and although I'm grateful to _all_ of you for staying with me as long as you _have_... I _know_ that I can do this by myself."

"I can't help but feel completely forgotten," Musiko grumbled from the couch, crossing her arms and pouting to herself.

"Or at least with Musiko's help," Ryuuzaki amended his statement.

He then carried on, "I'll be sure to visit you at the department, and bring you _Kira's head as a reward_ for all that you sacrificed."

"Ryuuzaki," Light said, sounding determined. "As long as I'm alive, you _won't_ be working alone."

"Forgotten _again_," Musiko muttered, Near smirking from his seat beside her.

"Or just with Musiko," Light amended his statement and carried on. "You have my _word_ on that."

"Hm. That's right. I'll have _Light_ working with me until I catch Kira, so I won't be alone _after all_," said the raven-haired detective.

"Why the hell can't people remember I _exist_ today?" asked the singer, scowling at nothing in particular.

"Or just with Musiko," Ryuuzaki amended his statement again, carrying on. "But as I said, I think that the rest of you should _remain_ as police officers."

"But when you _first_ contacted us," Soichiro recalled, "you said that you would need the help of the police in order to _solve_ this case."

"That's because the police as an _organization_ were still hoping to arrest Kira," answered the dark-eyed detective, "they weren't _bowing_ to him."

"_Besides_," he added, holding two cherries, "with all due respect, there's a big difference between the help of two or three civilians and the police as an organization."

The raven-haired man ate the cherries, adding, "As you said, the police have made their decision _clear_. They don't want to _catch_ Kira, so let's just leave it at that."

Soichiro sighed, "Well, I _suppose_ what you're saying makes sense; if we're _not_ police officers anymore, we won't be of much use to you."

"_However_, we're _all_ personally involved in this," the Chief asserted. "All of us have risked our lives to catch Kira. Doesn't that give us... the right to _decide_ whether we stay here or _return_ to the police force?"

Ryuuzaki pulled the cherry stem from his mouth to find it superbly tied, the answered, "Good point. Then by all _means_, please make your decision."

"But, Chief, wait," Aizawa spoke up. "If you _quit_ your job with the police force, you'll be _unemployed_. Even if we _do_ catch Kira, what are you gonna do after _that_?"

Matsuda looked between Aizawa and the Chief, also curious to know the answer to that question.

"After that? I hadn't really _thought_ of it, but I suppose after we catch Kira," he began, looking to the two other men with a smile, "I'll have to dust off my resumé."

"Count me in!" Matsuda exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'm gonna quit the police and chase Kira, _too_, Chief... And I _still_ have my job as Misa Misa's manager. _Besides_, if I stayed on as a police officer, I'd feel like a _total_ loser."

"_Think_ before you open your mouth, Matsuda," the Chief scolded the younger man.

Matsuda turned around, looking to Aizawa.

Aizawa looked torn between working to catch Kira and providing for his family.

He turned to look at Ryuuzaki who was eating more cherries from their stems and asked, "Is there any way I can still _keep_ my job and... help you in my spare time?"

"There isn't," the detective replied simply. "If you remain a police officer, then please don't come back here."

"But you _know_ I won't leak any information!" the other man reasoned.

"I won't be _sharing_ any of our information," Ryuuzaki informed him resolutely. "You're free to pursue Kira on your own, if you _want_ to, but I don't think it's fair to your families to burden them by giving up your livelihood just to continue this. I can't see how _that's_ a good idea."

"It's as Ryuuzaki says," the Chief agreed. "No one here is going to blame you for quitting."

"Yeah. Right. We all understand why you've gotta _do_ this," Matsuda added.

"But the Chief has a family, _too_," Aizawa said, the decision only becoming harder the more he weighed the options.

Soichiro walked over to him, "Our situations are _completely_ different."

"Damn it," Aizawa quietly cursed. "To leave now after all we've been through... I said I was prepared to _die_ if that's what it took to catch him and I _meant_ it. What kind of _friend_ would I be to Ukita if I quit _now_?"

"I became a detective so I could _catch_ the bad guys, not run away!" he shouted in his frustration.

Watari's letter came onto Ryuuzaki's laptop screen, Watari speaking, "Ryuuzaki. Early on in the investigation, you specifically _told_ me that if a task force member were to _lose_ their job under _any_ circumstances, I should make preparations to ensure that their family's financial future was _secure_. If you _recall_, a trust was set aside for that _very_ purpose."

"I'm a little curious as to why you're withholding this information," he concluded his thoughts.

Aizawa looked surprised as Ryuuzaki replied, "This is not the _time_ or _place_, Watari."

"I'm sorry," Watari apologized.

Matsuda hurried over, "_No way_. So _all_ this time we had nothing to _worry_ about? I can't believe you _did_ that."

He turned back around, "There you go, Aizawa. Isn't that _great news_?"

"Ryuuzaki," Aizawa said sharply. "I assume that was some kind of test to determine how _committed_ I was to this _task force_."

"I-I-It's not like that, Aizawa," the Chief attempted to calm him down. "Ryuuzaki's just not the type to say things _directly_. You should _know_ that by now."

"Yeah, that's right," Matsuda agreed.

"No," said the detective, all eyes returning to him. "I _was_ testing you. I wanted to see which one you would choose."

"_Ryuuzaki_," Soichiro said in disbelief.

"_Fine_, then," Aizawa declared. "If I wasn't sure _before_, I am _now_."

"But, Aizawa--!" interrupted Matsuda.

"Let's face it; I wasn't able to decide right away like you guys," Aizawa stated defeatedly. "I was leaning towards going _back_ to the police."

"Come on, Aizawa," Matsuda said, "don't be so stubborn."

"No! I _quit_!" the other man spat angrily. "Now I know this for _sure_; I've always _hated_ Ryuuzaki."

"I hate him _and_ his way of doing things," he reaffirmed, turning and heading to leave.

"That's too bad because I like _you_, Aizawa," Ryuuzaki said calmly, back still turned to him and the others.

Aizawa paused, growling and turning around, "I _also_ hate the way you've always gotta have the last word. You _insult_ me, now you say something like _that_? That's _it_; I'm outta here."

"Thank you for everything," the detective replied, still quite calm as Aizawa left both the building and the Kira investigation.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Stephen Lynch likes to kill kittens. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** First off, I don't know if there's a concert hall in the Kanto Region (the name of which I've just figured out is spelled with an 'a' and not an 'o' ::facepalm::), but using google, I just got a bunch of Japanese thrown at me. I couldn't figure it out, so let's just pretend there is or that one was nearby for the sake of the authoress' non-Japaneseness.

The song lyrics for the first song in this chapter are for _Sleep_ by Ivor Gurney. I don't know where you can find it. Sorry! I always felt it fit L so well, which is probably why I love the song so much.

The lyrics for the second song were made entirely by me. I hope you like them, since I don't claim to be a good songwriter. It's called _Adorable_.

* * *

**Chapter warnings:** Very light male dominance.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Three - Four of Clubs (Responsibility)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- The Death Note will be rendered useless if the victim's name is misspelled four times._

* * *

It was the night of Musiko's performance, the concert hall filled from top to bottom. Ryuuzaki, Light, Matsuda and Yukisuzu were sitting together, in that order.

"_So_, Musiko said she'd be debuting a new song," Light said conversationally to the raven-haired detective. "According to her two albums, it's probably going to be about _you_."

"Yes; I'm _afraid_ of that," replied Ryuuzaki, people around them all eyeing his peculiar way of sitting as he sucked on a lollipop.

* * *

"Now, without further ado, we would like to present a collection of songs vocalized by Miss Musiko Hanabi," a mysterious, male voice that seemed to come from everywhere announced boisterously over the sounds of the audience.

The curtain lifted, though the lights of the stage remained off, slowly coming on behind the orchestra and back-up singers as the music began. The audience soon silenced, all eyes on the stage expectantly.

Shortly into the intro, a third light came on, illuminating Musiko's form in a blue glow.

She was wearing a glittering, medium blue dress, the skirt of which flowed down to her ankles, slightly covering a pair of medium blue, high-heeled shoes with a strap around the ankle. The top of the dress had thick straps, the neck cut into a slightly low 'v'-shape, and on her hands were sparkling, medium blue gloves that ended just below the elbow. Lastly, around her neck rested a sparkling choker, matching in color to her dress and gloves.

Musiko then began to sing, extending her hands, "Come, Sleep, and with thy sweet deceiving, lock me in delight awhile; let some pleasing dream beguile all my fancies; that from thence I may feel an influence. All my powers of care bereaving!"

The audience around the four task force members, mainly made up of fans of Musiko's earlier career, gasped in surprise and awe of the new way Musiko was singing.

"Though but a shadow, but a sliding, let me know some little joy! We that suffer long annoy are contented with a thought through an idle fancy wrought: O let my joys have some abiding!" she sang, moving from alto to contralto and into soprano effortlessly.

"O let my joys have some abiding," Musiko concluded, reaching up into the beam of light that shown down upon her.

Slowly, the music ended, the light on the songstress dimming until it was gone.

The audience, including the task force, clapped, the sound dying as the light slowly brightened once more, music beginning to play.

* * *

The last song in her concert was about to begin, Musiko changing backstage.

She put on her usual black jeans with a chain and her usual black sneakers, too. On top, she wore a long-sleeved, red shirt underneath a sleeveless white shirt with a big, red heart with a bold, black circle around it and a diagonal bar running over it, Musiko heading back onto the darkened stage.

"Now, for my fans who want to hear something _rockin'_, I present you a new song called "_Adorable_" and written for the _same_ one who inspired the first two albums I made," Musiko spoke into her headset to the audience, now on stage before her fans once more.

* * *

L sunk into his seat further, knowing all her self-written songs were about him, his lollipop stick bobbing up and down in his mouth nervously.

* * *

"Here it is, darlings!" Musiko called with a wave, fast-paced music starting up, the fans all cheering wildly.

Musiko then began to sing, tapping her hand to her thigh in time with the beat.

"You're calm and cool. You're so _collected_," she sang, swaying to the rhythm of the music. "Everything that I respected. But I wanna pull your plug."

Suddenly, the music stopped, the light vanishing before flashing on again, music playing even louder than before.

"Do you ever turn off all your thoughts? Do you ever let down on your guard?" she sang out, louder than before, walking to the edge of the stage.

"That's my percentage? Well here's your card," she said rhythmically, making the motion of handing someone a card before singing once more. "We're so _infected_!"

Then she sang the chorus, her fans cheering, "You want to slay the dragon and save the princess, too. Aren't you _adorable_? You want good to save the day and love to conquer all. Aren't you _adorable_?"

"You sit upon your throne, spinning silver into gold, but the gold is never sold," the raven-haired woman sang with so much feeling that L sunk lower into his seat. "It's so, so useless!"

"Sitting there - a blankened stare," the songstress spun her tune, waving her hand before her eyes. "You're so predictable, love! You think you're sent from up above; some kind of _angel_."

Strutting to one side of the stage, she sang out the chorus once again, "You want to slay the dragon and save the princess, too. Aren't you _adorable_? You want good to save the day and love to conquer all. Aren't you _adorable_?"

"Sipping tea with a lollipop, lollipop," she cooed, moving to the other side of the stage. "Sugar, sugar, white or brown? Let me take you down - you and your lollipop, lollipop."

The guitar solo then sounded out, Musiko dancing freestyle to it.

* * *

Light looked over to the dark-eyed detective who was practically melding with his seat.

"Sounds like she _is_ talking about _you_," the brunette commented, smirking at the embarrassed detective.

The fact that Ryuuzaki was currently sucking on a lollipop was a great cosmic irony.

* * *

The guitar solo ending, Musiko sang out, "Calculating's overrated; deduction playing in your eyes. What's the _point_ and what's your _prize_? Just a victory and a side of justice, _please_."

"You want to slay the dragon and save the princess, too. Aren't you _adorable_?" she sang through a smile, waving out at the crowd. "You want good to save the day and love to conquer all. Aren't you _adorable_?"

"Always analyze, never compromise; Sherlock Holmes is so your style," the woman sang, dancing freestyle. "All that talk and all that guile. Come on, baby, just stop the talk, talk, talk."

"What's a girl to do when she falls for you? You let her down, down, down," sand Musiko with particular conviction, grinning at the audience. "You make me drown, drown, drown in a sugar heart attack."

"You want to slay the dragon and save the princess, too. Aren't you _adorable_?" Musiko repeated the chorus, nearing the end of her song. "You want good to save the day and love to conquer all. Aren't you _adorable_? Aren't you _adorable_?"

"You're so adorable!" she shouted out in song, the music immediately stopping afterward, Musiko striking a victory pose.

She then took a bow, rising up from it and speaking to her audience, "_Whoo_! That was the new, more mature style of Musiko! Thank you... and goodnight!"

With that, the lights went out, people all around standing up and clapping wildly, the task force standing and clapping as well, except for the subject of her song.

L had become one with his seat.

* * *

Once all the task force members - including Musiko who still wore the last set of clothes in her performance - were outside of the back entrance to the building, Matsuda congratulated her.

He then asked, "Was your last song _really_ about _Ryuuzaki_?"

"Yeah," she replied easily, not embarrassed at all by the fact. "Amazing how many songs a girl can make over her first heartbreak."

"So you used to be with _Ryuuzaki_?" Matsuda question, surprised at this new knowledge.

"Yeah. Is that so hard to believe?" the singer asked, smiling a little.

He whispered conspiratorially, "It's just that he's so, _you know_... _eccentric_. I didn't think he'd _go_ for a relationship."

Ryuuzaki, Yukisuzu, and Light were listening, although the two didn't think they could hear.

"Well, it was kind of _accidental_... and he basically thinks of it as a mistake," Musiko explained, shrugging it off. "It seems so long ago, I can hardly remember it, so it's no big deal. It's not like I believe in fairytale endings and true love or that we're _soul mates_ or anything."

The raven-haired detective walked over to them, "Would you mind riding with Yukisuzu and Light, Matsui?"

"Sure," said the older man before he took off over to Light and Yukisuzu, the three piling into one car.

Ryuuzaki headed for their second car, Musiko following with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

He opened the door for her, the singer climbing in, Ryuuzaki then moving in beside her.

He then pressed a button, speaking to the driver, "Go back to the facility and circle around for now."

"Yes, sir," Watari replied.

"So why did you want me to ride with you?" Musiko finally asked the nagging question.

* * *

L truthfully didn't know what to do, but his thoughts of late all led him back to the main idea that Light Yagami was still under suspicion and that it was highly dangerous for Musiko to either play the part or actually _be_ Light's girlfriend.

He needed a way to end their relationship, but the only solution he could find would be placing her in another, _safe_ relationship. Thus the dilemma was then that he didn't want her in a relationship with anyone other than _himself_. The problem resulted that he simply didn't want to confess his feelings to her; he just wasn't ready to _admit_ what he'd been trying desperately to deny for so long.

Finally, he came to a conclusion based on a memory of their days in the orphanage...

* * *

_Lawliet and Nyoko had become good friends, Lawliet teaching her how to fight ever since he found some of the older boys harassing her. She was a quick learner and he thought she fought well, yet he still worried that her skill and knowledge of techniques weren't enough. He knew he couldn't be near her all day, so he wasn't sure what to do to ensure that she would be safe._

_After thinking on it for a few days, Lawliet came to the conclusion that there was only one way that could possibly help keep Musiko safe. However, that method was sure to be one Musiko would object to._

_One day when the two were sitting on the floor in Lawliet's usual corner of the library, he looked over to Nyoko._

_"Nyoko?" he asked, gaining her attention. "I've been thinking that, even with your fighting skills, you're __**still**__ not as safe as I'd like you to be."_

_Closing her book with her thumb holding her place, she inquired in return, "Well, what do you suggest I __**do**__ about it? I don't think there's another way..."_

_"There's one way I can think of, but you're not going to like it," Lawliet informed her. "I can fight fifteen... __**no**__, twenty percent better than you, and if the ones who bother you know you're under my protection, they may not be as inclined to do anything of that nature."_

_"You make it sound like I'm in the witness protection program or something," Nyoko replied, pouting up at him._

_He smiled down at her lightly with a slight shrug._

_With a sigh, she prompted his explanation, "And how do you propose we alert them of the fact that you're protecting me?"_

_He took a deep breath, beginning to explain, "If we pretend to be a couple--"_

_"__**WHAT**__!?" she shouted at the top of her lungs, the whole lot of library visitors looking up as birds took flight from the trees outside._

_Before she could shout anything else, Lawliet covered her mouth, Nyoko struggling as he held her by the shoulders._

_"Calm __**down**__, Nyoko," he said soothingly, not having known she'd be __**quite**__ so upset. "It's just to protect you... __**Now**__, will you scream if I let go?"_

_She nodded her head vigorously in agreement, Lawliet slowly uncovering her mouth, hand at the ready to cover it again in case she started to scream._

_"But how will they even __**know**__ about that without one of us, like... getting on the roof and announcing it with a megaphone?" the young woman inquired, looking up at him expectantly._

_Although he didn't notice, he still held her by the shoulders as he replied, "The only way I was able to come up with was leaving a visible mark on your body that would lead others to believe you were in a relationship with someone."_

_"And if someone asked who gave you the mark..." the future detective trailed off, gaze meeting her midnight blue orbs._

_The raven-haired young woman looked away in contemplation._

_"...I could tell them it came from __**you**__," she filled in the blank, nodding in understanding as she looked back to her friend. "I never would have __**thought**__ of that..."_

_Lawliet continued, "But the only way to make a mark without cutting you would be..."_

_"...To give me a __**hickey**__!" Nyoko announced, awed by his plot._

_"Correct," confirmed the young man, thinking she was taking it more calmly than he'd thought she would._

_She grinned, commending him, "Wow, that's quite the __**plan**__ you've got there, Lawliet..."_

_"Only __**one problem**__ with that __**brilliant**__ plan of yours: I'm not letting you give me a __**hickey**__!" the girl announced vehemently. "Are you cra-!?"_

_Nyoko's rant was cut off as he grabbed her wrists with one hand, the other covering her mouth as his lips moved to her neck. He'd never given anyone a hickey before, but he deduced that a hickey was made by sucking until the blood vessels beneath the skin were broken. It was like a primitive way of marking another person as one's territory, making it the perfect way to mark her body._

_Even with all her attempts to push Lawliet away, he still managed to suck her neck for over thirty seconds, causing blood vessels to break and create a reddened mark._

_He knew the only __**downside**__ to his method was that it hurt her slightly as he noticed her hands had gripped at his shirt from the new feeling, the young woman whimpering lightly. She'd obviously never had a hickey before._

_Feeling guilty about hurting her, he kissed the area of the mark softly in an attempt to make up for any pain. He found it odd, though, that kissing her neck was actually __**pleasing**__. Hesitating only momentarily, he then continued to kiss her neck lightly, his hands resting over hers as they gripped his white shirt._

_He felt his lips take over with a will of their own, Lawliet soon kissing her cheek as he moved to straddle her outstretched legs. Kissing her lips lightly, he tasted something sweet, his tongue darting into her mouth to find more of the taste, Nyoko gasping lightly._

_His tongue lapping at hers, he realized her mouth tasted as he imagined __**sugar**__ would taste; he'd never really eaten anything with sugar before, using caffeine to keep himself alert, but the sweetness of it, he deduced, could only be from candy._

_Then, all at once, he realized he was kissing a trembling Nyoko, his tongue darting out of her mouth, lips hovering over hers as he opened his eyes that he hadn't realized he'd closed._

_"Nyoko?" Lawliet asked softly, her eyes refusing to meet his as she gazed off to the side. "Nyoko, I didn't mean to... __**upset**__ you."_

_"I-It's okay," she replied, looking unsure of herself._

_Boldly, the young man requested, "May I kiss you again?"_

_Her wide eyes met his gaze, "Wha-? __**Why**__?"_

_He rubbed his nose to hers lightly as he answered her inquiry, "It was pleasant."_

_She blushed a deep red, looking away shyly, Lawliet's piercing gaze watching her eyes._

_Nyoko wondered why he'd kissed her in the __**first**__ place and why his hold on her hands was __**different**__ from the way he would touch her small hands before; he used to touch her as if doing so __**disgusted**__ him, but now his hands covered every __**inch**__ of hers that they could, holding gently but firmly._

_Her dark blue eyes returned to his, Lawliet pleased that she would look at him again and kissing her lips lightly instinctively. Slowly, he moved her hands up, wrapping her arms around his neck, his hands then freely resting to her waist._

_"__**Please**__, Nyoko," Lawliet begged softly, nudging his forehead to hers encouragingly._

_"A-Alright," Musiko said breathlessly, the future detective's lips meeting hers as they kissed deeply._

_Soon, they found themselves lying next to each other, Lawliet stroking her soft, raven-colored hair as she held onto his shirt with both hands, snuggling against him. The two then fell asleep, holding one another close._

* * *

Without warning, Lawliet moved toward the younger woman who tried to crawl backward, but wound up lying on her back in the seat.

"Wh-What are you--?" she began to ask, but gasped when his lips met her neck and he began to suck as he pinned her down to the seat, careful not to otherwise hurt her.

Nyoko struggled a little, but found he was too strong as he held down her hands by her wrists.

Her mind raced at finding an answer as to why he was giving her a hickey when she remembered how he used to give them to her at the orphanage to keep the boys who harassed her away.

She whimpered, struggling a little as the dark-eyed man kissed the area where he'd left his mark.

"Why are you **doing** this, Lawliet?" she questioned of his intent, soft voice wavering.

He moved to her lips, kissing softly before replying honestly, "I... can't _explain_, Nyoko."

"What were you _thinking_?" the songstress asked in a demanding tone.

Again, he answered honestly with a confused and thoughtful expression, "I thought of him with you..."

Musiko's brow furrowed at his reply.

"Lawliet, we're not _kids_ anymore," she informed him. "You don't have to protect me."

"I have to _try_," he replied insistently, still pinning her down.

Managing to bend her knee, she kicked the young man off of her, Lawliet landing unceremoniously on his face.

The detective looked up at her, expression slightly pained as he said, "That hurt... Nyoko."

She scrambled up and moved over to the raven-haired man, helping him to sit up.

"I-I didn't mean to hurt you," Nyoko said guiltily, biting her bottom lip.

He watched her lip move between her teeth, Nyoko moving to sit back in her seat. Her brow was furrowed and he knew she was confused.

* * *

_It had been a few months of Lawliet giving Musiko hickeys and the method had so far been effective, everyone in the orphanage knowing that L had claimed her as his. The only ones __**bothered**__ by that news seemed to be Near and Mello, both of whom Musiko had become good friends with._

_Lawliet was surprised she didn't know that they had been competing to see who could win her affection first. Now that he'd made her his, however, he made sure to keep them from her, fairly certain neither of them really loved her._

_"Nyoko," he said softly from where they lay in their corner of the library, the young man kissing her forehead before continuing his thought, "I like you a lot..."_

_"I like you a lot, __**too**__, Lawliet," the raven-haired girl replied, looking upward and softly placing kisses to his neck, Lawliet closing his eyes as he smiled._

_"Do you __**love**__ me, Nyoko?" the dark-eyed young man asked, Musiko looking forward and reaching up to trace his collarbone gently._

_She spoke timidly, afraid to tell him the truth, but she told him anyway, softly saying, "Yes..."_

_He held her closer, replying, "I love you, too... Nyoko."_

* * *

Nyoko then dug through her purse, pulling out a compact and looking at the mark on her neck. It was above the collar line, near the front.

"Damn it. If _Light_ sees this..." she trailed off, looking worried. "What the hell am I supposed to _tell_ him? My _usual_ make-up won't cover this. I mean, it's _purple_."

She slammed the compact shut with annoyance, shoving it in her purse, crossing both her legs and arms as she fumed to herself.

Lawliet simply pressed a button, instructing Watari to take them back to the facility.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Chester Cheetah likes Cheetos. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** First of all, only _one_ person is reviewing! Aren't there at least one or two _others_ reading this? Reviews are great and I'd like to know what everyone reading thinks of the direction I've taken. Like it, hate it? Tell me about it! Doesn't mean I'll _change_ it, but I'd like to know.

For a heads up, the Wammy scene in the Death Note One-Shot manga will be referenced and discussed in this chapter. In this story, it _did_ happen, but sooner than before the Kira case. It must've happened about a year into L being a detective.

Anyway, there's a bit of a change to the storyline in this chapter.

**SPOILER BELOW:**

Because of something that happens in the chapter (I won't even tell you what happens), Light and L stop wearing the handcuffs earlier.

Want to know why? Read and find out!

**END SPOILER**

* * *

**Chapter warnings:** Suggested male dominance.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Five - Five of Spades (Competition)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- "Suicide" is a valid cause of death._

_Basically all humans are thought to possess the possibility to commit suicide._

_It is, therefore, not something "unbelievable to think of"._

* * *

Musiko walked into the task force headquarters building with Ryuuzaki by her side. She dreaded every step that would eventually take her to Light.

Ryuuzaki, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected by prior events, his hands buried in his pockets.

They both saw that only Yukisuzu and Light were in the room, the former able to see Musiko's large, purple hickey from where he sat on a couch, his eyebrow lifting.

As for Light, he was seated in front of his laptop, but stood and turned around, walking forward and stopping before them.

The pair simply stood side-by-side, Ryuuzaki appearing aloof next to Musiko who wore a nervous expression.

Light easily noticed the mark on her neck, Musiko ducking her head and looking to the side to avoid his gaze. She wasn't normally so submissive-looking, the young brunette noted, his eyes then moving to the unfazed detective.

"Musiko," Light finally called her attention, brown gaze shifting to her, the singer looking up at the young man. "What happened to your neck?"

"Uhm," Musiko muttered, eyes shooting to Ryuuzaki and then darting away.

There was no way to hide what the mark was, so she gave in defeatedly, "...Ryuuzaki... did it."

"Did you _allow_ it?" he finally inquired patiently.

She looked at Ryuuzaki with concern in her eyes, but the detective didn't say or do _anything_, much to the raven-haired songstress' dismay.

Musiko knew she would have to tell the truth, answering in her characteristically blunt manner, "He held me down."

Light turn his eyes to Ryuuzaki who simply gazed back with nonchalance.

Before Musiko knew what was happening, Ryuuzaki had dodged a punch thrown by Light, the two beginning to fight right in the middle of the building's main room.

"Stop! Stop it!" she called out frantically, waving her hands in a desperate attempt to catch their attention, but failing miserably to break up the scuffle.

Finally, Light tackled the raven-haired detective as Yukisuzu silently watched with interest.

The young Yagami held the older man down, demanding, "Why the hell did you _hurt_ her?!"

Musiko rubbed her forehead, not in the mood to deal with this current problem. She simply turned and headed to the stairs, then up to the elevator, heading for her floor.

Ryuuzaki shoved the brunette backward by the chest with his foot, the dark-eyed detective moving up into a crouch and slowly standing, his opponent standing as well.

"I have to protect her," the raven-haired young man explained quite frankly.

Light's countenance changed to one of confusion, the younger man not understanding how a _hickey_ was a means of protection.

"I think what Ryuuzaki is trying to say," Yukisuzu began, walking up to them with his hands buried deep in his pockets, "is that he has to protect her from _you_."

"By giving her a _hickey_, I believe he's expressing that _she_ is _his_," the white-haired detective deduced of the familiar situation.

"It's something he once used to do to protect Musiko from a group of older boys who harassed her," he added, clearly remembering the significance of the mark from their time in the orphanage.

"Whether or not you truly _are_ Kira, I'm still suspicious of you," asserted the raven-haired detective to the brunette. "As you can _see_, I've staked my claim of her."

"_What_?" Light asked, nonplussed.

Yukisuzu sighed, interjecting once more, "It's a very _simple_ concept - _primitive_ even - and should obviously suggest--"

"That I'm in _love_ with her," Ryuuzaki finished his fellow detective's thought. "I have _always_ loved her."

"I won't let a man suspected of being Kira have her," the onyx-eyed man announced, hands burrowing into his pockets. "That being said, you may fight me if you _wish_, Light Yagami."

Yukisuzu sighed once more, slightly amused by the two, but more so aggravated.

"In case you haven't noticed," he began to point out helpfully, "Musiko is _gone_."

Ryuuzaki's eyes widened a bit, the young detective surprised he hadn't noticed her leave.

"And, for the record," Yukisuzu said, "I, _too_, love Musiko."

Light turned around, looking unsure of what to do in light of the other man's confession.

Yukisuzu noted his confused gaze, clarifying, "Neither of you have to worry about competition from me. I already understand that she _doesn't_ return my feelings, at least at this time."

"But I have to say on Musiko's behalf that she's likely very confused at the moment," he added, gaze falling to Ryuuzaki. "An act of love, albeit it _primitive_, from a man who _abandoned_ you years ago and then continually summons you on a _whim_ must be very hard to comprehend."

Ryuuzaki glared back at him, "I _admit_ my mistake; I should never have left her. _In fact_, as it _stands_, I should have taken her with me. Perhaps then you wouldn't be a factor in this situation."

"A mistake?" repeated Yukisuzu, brows lifted in question. "Is _that_ what you call it? From where I stood, it was more like creating something wonderful and then turning around and attempting to _destroy_ it."

"You made her the happy girl we used to know, and then you left her broken," the younger, white-haired man assessed, dark eyes locked with the other detective's gaze. "I had to fix the damage, but she never smiled the same way again."

"_Even so_, she still devotes herself to protecting and helping you," he went on to say, hand rising and finger twirling a strand of hair in jerky movements. "By _all_ accounts, she should never want to see you again, but she's just not that kind of woman."

"You don't deserve her _or_ her devotion," he concluded. "You don't deserve her forgiveness."

His peace said, he turned and left the room, heading up the stairs and into the elevator.

Ryuuzaki took in his words, believing them to be true.

"What did you _do_ to her?" Light finally inquired, disconcerted by everything Yukisuzu had expressed.

"I believe that is between myself and Musiko," the remaining detective answered evasively, then looked down to his handcuff that he'd yet to reattach to the brunette's wrist, the other half tucked in his pocket. "I _also_ believe that remaining handcuffed to you again is no longer possible given the _situation_ and my desire to _harm_ you."

The raven-haired detective looked back up to Light, their eyes locking.

"So, from now _on_," the brunette began, crossing his arms as he stared at the detective, "you and I are basically _competing_ to see who'll win Musiko after we _catch_ Kira and prosecute him for his crimes."

"Does that about sum it up?" questioned the younger man.

"Hm... _Yes_," Ryuuzaki answered. "As they say, may the best man _win_."

* * *

After summoning everyone in the building, save the annoyance of Misa Amane, Ryuuzaki had the handcuffs discarded. Said detective now sat in his usual seat in his customary manner, facing away from the desk and toward the others who had gathered. Light sat on the opposite end of the desk, also facing the others.

Musiko sat on a couch beside Yukisuzu, her gaze on the wall to the side as her arms were crossed; she hadn't wanted to leave her floor, but had no choice at Ryuuzaki's demand that she return.

"Does this mean my son is no longer a suspect?" Soichiro asked with that all too familiar hope.

"_No_, I'm afraid the Kira investigation has _nothing_ to do with my reason for removing the handcuffs," the raven-haired detective replied, rubbing his freed wrist.

Matsuda looked bewildered, "Then why are you--?"

"I believe that if I were to remain _handcuffed_ to Light Yagami, I may attempt to _harm_ him," Ryuuzaki explained vaguely, eyes trailing off to where Musiko sat on a couch.

"_What_? Please _explain_ yourself, Ryuuzaki," the Chief requested.

The raven-haired man continued to watch Musiko as he replied, "From now on, I will not _tolerate_ Musiko being in a relationship with your son, a _Kira_ suspect... I've made it _perfectly clear_ to her that she is no longer allowed to date Light Yagami, or anyone _else_, for the time being."

Light finally spoke up, sick of the older man's idea that Musiko was his to command.

"Musiko is a _person_; she has the right to choose what she wants," the brunette asserted.

"Hm... _Really_?" Ryuuzaki asked in return, briefly meeting the younger man's gaze before looking back to Musiko. "You would assume that if she _didn't_ agree to what I've stated, she would _object_ to everything I've said in her presence..."

"Don't you find it the slightest bit _unusual_ that she hasn't verbally _disagreed_ by now?" questioned the dark-eyed detective with an air of arrogance that annoyed the brunette.

The other men all looked confused and disturbed by the discussion, Musiko finally sighing and getting up from the couch, walking up in front of Ryuuzaki, her dark blue eyes, however, on Light Yagami.

"I'm _sorry_, Light," she apologized, gaze then turning to the dark-haired detective. "If this is what you want, then so be it."

"If you recall, I promised you before we began that I would follow _all_ of your direct orders, no matter what they may be," the woman admitted, then added a biting comment. "I _keep_ my promises."

Soichiro frowned at the young singer, concerned by her words, "Miss Hanabi, why would you promise something so..."

He trailed off, unable to find the words to express his thought, though the songstress understood his meaning.

"_Unreasonable_?" she filled in for him, shrugging. "If you lived for so many years without family and friends, shut off from others, and one person somehow made you _completely_ happy and taught you how to be brave, then you might understand that I owe him more than I can give."

Yukisuzu walked over, standing behind the young woman with a forefinger twirling a strand of hair anxiously, "But he left you alone. He promised you--"

"He had a _reason_," Musiko defended Ryuuzaki, fists flexing at her sides as she looked to him from the corner of her eye. "It's not _his_ fault that I just wasn't _strong_ enough to _cope_ better."

Gaze returning to the others, she explained, "I don't expect anyone to understand how I feel, but just because no one else _understands_ it doesn't mean it's any less _real_."

"That's what real love _is_, _right_? It's unconditional and selfless," the young woman expressed her opinion. "I devoted myself to helping Ryuuzaki and following his orders, whether I find them unreasonable or not."

"Maybe I'm just _naive_," she thought aloud, "but I'd rather be _naive_ than living under the idea that I don't owe him _everything_."

The room remained silent for what seemed an eternity, but really must've only been a minute or two, Musiko turning and heading for the exit. She left, no one objecting.

Light glared at Ryuuzaki, "You let her believe she has to do whatever you _command_?"

"I agree that she's _naive_ about this," the young brunette admitted, the asserted, "but letting her feel that way is _unforgivable_."

The raven-haired detective paused a moment before hurriedly leaping up from his seat and rushing to the exit, going after Musiko without even putting his shoes back on.

Once the other detective was gone, Yukisuzu looked to the young Yagami, feeling it best to decipher the intricacies of the situation.

"I'm afraid that Ryuuzaki can't be _blamed_ for her personal beliefs about love," the white-haired man responded. "The act of commanding something of her, _however_, is _entirely_ on his shoulders. What remains to be seen is if he can _live_ with that fact."

"Telling either of them how to act won't help change their perceptions," he added, turning and staring at the exit. "These are lessons they need to learn on their own and in their own time."

* * *

Nyoko wandered through the streets, walking in the pouring rain and talking to her Shinigami whose excellent hearing could pick up her faint speech.

"He doesn't _love_ me, Kuro," the young songstress told him matter-of-factly. "Light doesn't love me either. _And_... I can't help but be negative and think that Near doesn't really love me _either_."

She sighed deeply, wet hair plastered to her face as she stared at the sidewalk under her black sneakers, "I think Near had his first crush on me and doesn't know how to let go. _Why_ would he still love me, especially given the fact that I'm devoted to L? And don't get me _started_ on how Kira is probably just confused over our sexual encounters."

"Lawliet is just trying to save me from Kira, like your typical anti-hero," mused the singer, sadden visage rising to glance out at the city which was lit up brightly in the dark of the night. "He's not quite a _hero_ with the methods he resorts to, now _is_ he?"

"Then whom do you consider the _hero_ of this story?" inquired the Shinigami thoughtfully.

"Sometimes, in life, there _aren't_ any heroes," she reasoned in her wisdom. "That's what makes it _life_."

"As opposed to a fairytale?" he questioned his Mistress, interested in her thoughts.

"_Exactly_," answered the raven-haired woman. "In this particular story, love isn't conquering all like the princess _wants_ it to. Her prince isn't even _hers_ and she wonders to herself if he ever _was_."

* * *

Lawliet wandered through the rainy city, having no idea which way Nyoko could have gone. Thankfully, she was wearing her skull choker now, the singer having returned it to her neck after her performance obediently, the item having a hidden tracking chip inside.

He pulled out his phone, finding the signal and hurriedly following it.

* * *

"So _you're_ the princess?" asked Kuro, looking down at the thoroughly soaked woman.

"Yes; I'd like to _think_ so," she replied softly. "But if I use the notebook and my prince finds out... he's going to think I'm the _villainess_ of our story whom he has to sentence to _death_..."

The songstress noted, "It's all rather _tragic_ in a Shakespearean way."

Kuro grinned toothily to himself, knowing she wouldn't end up dying that way. He may have been a Shinigami, but he was the Great Shinigami's son; rules didn't always apply to him.

She then slipped into an alley, sitting on the wet, cold ground and hugging her knees, her back to the wall of a building.

"Happily ever after is a _lie_, Kuro," Nyoko informed the Shinigami sagely, "and once upon a time never ends."

* * *

His phone indicated an alley to his immediate right, Lawliet snapping it shut and placing it in his back pocket. He then wandered into the alley and looked around to find Musiko sitting on the ground, back to a wall as she held her knees tightly.

He moved in front of her, crouching down.

"You shouldn't be out in this weather," he scolded simply.

"How did you _find_ me?" the young woman asked, surprised and angry at his sudden appearance.

He thought over his answer before replying, "I have ways."

Moving, he sat beside her, watching her for a while. Lawliet had decided that he should wait for her to say something first, his patience only present because he liked to watch her and wonder what she was thinking.

"Why'd you come after me?" she finally questioned of the young detective. "You shouldn't have followed me."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but," the older man began, hands to his knees, "you must _love_ Light Yagami to be so _upset_ about this situation."

She rolled her eyes at his deduction, sighing and answering, reaffirming her feelings, "I do _not_ love Light. I make a point not to fall in love with mass murderers. The _only_ reason this upsets me is that I can't stay close enough to him to get the evidence we _need_. If it weren't for your idea that you have to _protect_ me, I could gain his trust and get him to admit to being Kira _himself_."

'_She __**still**__ doesn't understand the connotations behind giving her that mark,_' the young detective thought, slightly frustrated, but not expressing the emotion.

"Remember how I got mad at you for lying?" Nyoko reminded in question, but carried on immediately. "I'm not _stupid_... I _know_ you lie a lot. It was just the last straw and I was suddenly angry that you lied to me when we were kids, telling me you didn't need to lie."

"Near _told_ me, _word for word_, what you said back when you spoke to the top students at Wammy's House," she informed him, never looking at him as her gaze remained on the drops of rain colliding with the ground before her. "I remember every word, and I don't know whether to _believe_ what you said or to think of it as just another lie."

"_Sometimes_, I doubt the one and only time you said you loved me was even _real_," the woman confessed as she looked to her knees. "Coming from _you_, _anything_ could be a lie."

Nyoko then stood, looking down at the detective as he stared up at her, "I stopped believing in you when he told me what you said. You made me realize that justice is _pointless_ in the end. If the person I _idolized_ could confess to being nothing but a _cheating bastard_ who'd stop at _nothing_ to win, my own ideals looked pathetic and impossible."

"I wanted to believe you were some kind of _hero_," she admitted bitterly, "but you're just as _selfish_ and _petty_ as I've become _because_ of you."

With her thoughts spoken, she began to walk away from the young detective, but he moved to his feet and caught her by the wrist.

"If giving my _word_ has any value to you _now_," he began, hand gripping her wrist tightly, "I promise that I never lied to _you_, Nyoko."

She tugged her wrist free, turning around and looking expectant of his explanation.

"At the time that I said I didn't need to lie, I was idealistic about the nature of right and wrong," Lawliet confessed. "When I realized that the _reality_ of the situation was that I had to _lie_ to solve cases, I stopped believing in the idealistic view of justice."

Quickly, he added, "I told Near and the others a _half_ truth. I knew they looked up to me and I didn't want them to pursue an idealistic view of justice only to have their ideals torn away from them by the reality of good and evil."

"I _believe_ in justice, even if I _also_ hold selfish motives for _attaining_ justice," he explained to the raven-haired woman. "I _admit_ that I'm petty, selfish and a liar, but I _do_ have a sense of justice, and it's only there because _you_ instilled it in me."

"The only person I'm certain I've never lied directly to is _you_, Nyoko," Lawliet assured her, watching tears run down her cheeks. "I _lied_ when I told Light Yagami that I thought of him as a friend. The only friend I've ever had... is _you_."

She moved forward, arms wrapping around his neck as she hugged him with a smile, Lawliet returning the embrace as they stood frozen in the rain.

* * *

A day passed, Ryuuzaki managing to work with Light who wisely said nothing about the events between them. Musiko, however, had been on her floor since then and no one bothered the singer for fear of incurring her wrath.

In the main room of the facility, Light now sat on the right end of the desk before the monitors while Ryuuzaki had moved all the way to the left.

"I just found _another_ one," Light announced, staring at the data on his laptop. "A general manager of a bank - Yotsuba's _biggest_ competitor; on _September_ seventh, he slipped and fell on the front steps of his house and _died_ instantly."

Ryuuzaki, although begrudgingly, rolled his chair over from the far end of the desk, taking a look at Light's data as he held his cup of coffee.

Soichiro walked over as well, reading over the papers in his hand, "September the seventh was a _Friday_, wasn't it?"

The others looked to him, Mister Yagami continuing his thoughts, "After going over this again, I _noticed_ something. All the _deaths_ which are beneficial to Yotsuba are concentrated around the weekends."

"_Huh_? On the _weekends_?" asked Matsuda as Soichiro scanned the papers again.

"With the first few victims, the time of death appears to have been random," Soichiro explained further. "More _recently_, they all take place between Friday night and Saturday afternoon."

"I'm _amazed_ that you even _noticed_ that, Chief," Matsuda said in awe, looking up at the older man.

"Matsuda," the ex-police officer chided, "I thought I told you to stop calling me Chief."

Matsuda apologized, "I'm sorry, but you'll _always_ be the Chief to me."

"This is a really important _clue_, dad," Light said, looking to his father. "Nice work."

"_Well_, _you know_, I _can't_ let myself fall behind you and Ryuuzaki," replied Soichiro resolutely. "After all, the _last_ thing I want is to be dead weight."

"_Dead weight_?" echoed Matsuda, staring up at the Chief.

"Is _Kira_ someone from _Yotsuba_," Ryuuzaki pondered aloud, "or is Kira simply _using_ Yotsuba?"

The raven-haired man added his own thoughts and instructions, "I haven't figured that _out_ yet, but we'll proceed under the _assumption_ that this is Kira's doing... We will _focus_ on Yotsuba."

"This is all of the Yotsuba group's employees," Mogi said as he walked over to Ryuuzaki's side, setting down a tall stack of papers. "Here."

"Thank you very much," Ryuuzaki replied gratefully, pulling the stack of papers in front of himself.

"That's three hundred _thousand_ people," noted Light in amazement. "How did he put this together so _quickly_?"

He then looked toward Mogi, praising, "That's _amazing_, Mogi."

Matsuda watched the others, noticing how everyone around him was working so hard. He realized just how little he'd done to help them and the investigation.

"He's been incredibly efficient from the start," replied Ryuuzaki to the young brunette.

Jumping up from his seat near the detective suddenly, Matsuda inquired, "_Ryuuzaki_, please _tell_ me; is there _anything_ I can do to help with the investigation, _besides_ the manager thing?"

The detective looked to him from the corner of his eyes, asking, "_Sooo_, you _really_ want to be useful?"

"Yes!" Matsuda replied determinedly.

"_Then_... could you get me another cup of coffee?" Ryuuzaki requested, eyes moving back to the papers he held.

Matsuda looked surprised at the request, his hopes of being useful dashed.

"And for our guests over there as well," the detective added, gesturing behind himself to the set of couches under the stairs.

Two people sat on a couch, their backs to the task force members, the male figure lifting a hand.

Matsuda, Light, and Soichiro all looked over to the pair of one male and one female.

"Who are _they_?" questioned Matsuda.

"Hold _on_ a sec. Who let _them_ in?" demanded Light, watching the pair closely in a suspicious manner.

"Those two are the newest members of the task force," Ryuuzaki proclaimed.

The blonde-haired woman with sunglasses on and the man with dirty blonde hair walked toward the other members of the task force just as Musiko slipped down the stairs.

"The name's Aiber," the male said to the task force. "I'm a con man. How's it goin'?"

The woman then spoke up, "I'm Wedy, and I'm a _thief_ by trade."

Soichiro groaned, "A _con man_ and a _thief_."

At the stairs, Yukisuzu came down, watching Musiko discreetly check out the ass of the con man before she caught sight of him, the singer sticking her tongue out before turning to leave. With a smirk, Yukisuzu followed her while Ryuuzaki introduced the two professional criminals and explained their positions on the task force.

* * *

Outside of the facility, Near walked beside Nyoko.

"I hadn't expected you to leave your floor so soon," the white-haired detective mused, hands in his pockets.

Although he knew L's intentions regarding the purple hickey on her neck that she'd managed to hide somewhat with new make-up, he didn't explain the connotations of the act. He knew she was better off oblivious to Light and L's competition.

"I decided I should get out of the building for a while," explained Nyoko, shrugging slightly. "If you're coming along, we could go catch a movie or something."

"I find movies to be _unbearably_ predictable," he replied conversationally, looking over to her.

She smiled at him a little, "I know what you mean; I have the same problem."

"Yes; it seems to be a common problem among people of our intellect," the young man returned, looking forward as his forefinger twirled a strand of his short, snow white hair. "Would you like to go shopping?"

"For what?" the woman inquired, turning her head to look at him.

He returned her gaze, "What do you normally tend to shop for?"

"I don't shop much, other than necessities," she confessed. "And I get all my clothes online..."

The singer added, "When I _do_ shop, I usually buy useless, but cute things."

Taking her by the hand, Near began to lead her down the sidewalk, "I have an idea."

"Sounds _interesting_," Nyoko said with a smile, following along willingly.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Kakashi likes Icha Icha books. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** I know it's been a long time since an update, but bear with me. Life sometimes gets in the way. Sorry.

Just to note, I consider this chapter a "candy bar scene," which is basically like a scene paying fan service to the author and readers. Had to add it.

There's a Death Note reference in here of a kind (which is weird to say, since it's a Death Note fic)! Had to throw it in. If you can find it, I'll give you a cookie. (It's not hard.)

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Six - Six of Clubs (Innocence)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- Whether the cause of the individual's death is either a suicide or accident, if the death leads to the death of more than the intended, the person will simply die of a heart attack._

_This is to ensure that other lives are not influenced._

* * *

The next day, Ryuuzaki and Light agreed to take a small break and had cornered Musiko into letting them on her floor, Near oh-so-politely being literally shoved out the door by the raven-haired detective.

Musiko now sat in the middle of one cream-colored couch while the detective and his suspect sat on the one opposite her, the two men sitting as far away from one another as possible.

"So why have you both barged in and kicked Yukisuzu out?" the singer finally asked the pair.

"I have a limited amount of free time," Light explained in his logical manner, leaning back, one arm resting to the back of the couch. "I'd _prefer_ spending that time with _you_."

Ryuuzaki then answered for himself, hands gripping his knees as he replied, "We haven't spent much of our free time together during this case. I _assumed_ you wouldn't mind."

"No, I don't mind," she agreed, legs crossing and arms resting to the back of her couch. "_So_, do we intend on sitting here, staring at each other's no doubt _lovely_ faces, or are we going to _talk_ about something?"

"Are you aggravated, Musiko?" the detective inquired, catching her impatient tone through her sarcasm.

She pursed her lips as she looked down, trying to find a polite way to say what she had to say.

Her eyes returned to Ryuuzaki's, "I'm a little annoyed that _Yukisuzu_ was _literally_ shoved out the door. It was rather _rude_ of you to push him out. But I guess if he were _upset_, he would have just walked back in..."

"_So_, answer my question," the woman pressed expectantly.

* * *

The three resorted to the favorites game, only Musiko didn't ask _them_ questions and they didn't ask _each other_ questions, the two men essentially interrogating her on her list of favorite things.

How the game ended up as such, Musiko wasn't even entirely sure, but she said nothing of it.

"Favorite color?" asked Ryuuzaki, watching her facial expression.

"Blue, _specifically_ navy," she replied, leg crossed over the other and bobbing up and down to an unheard beat.

Light then inquired, "Favorite food?"

"Snow crabs," she answered without skipping a beat, eyes then moving to the detective.

"Favorite animal?" Ryuuzaki questioned.

"Black panther," she returned, eyes shifting to Light.

Light thought a minute, then asked, "Favorite _voice actor_?"

She quirked a brow at the originality of the question, but answered easily, "Alessandro Juliani."

As she looked to the raven-haired detective, he inquired, "Favorite book?"

"That's... actually something I have to _think_ about," she commented, looking thoughtful as she stared at the coffee table as if it would provide an answer.

Eyes lifting to Ryuuzaki, Musiko replied, "The Iliad, hands down."

"You've read the entire Iliad?" asked Light, visibly surprised.

"Uh, _yeah_," the dark-eyed songstress confirmed, arms falling from the back of the couch and crossing. "Why does that _surprise_ you? It's a classic piece of literature. It's much more _intelligent_ than the quaint, and rather _superfluous_ classic of _Treasure Island_, which I've interestingly seen as a _doorstop_ in a _trailer home_ before, by the way."

"I just thought that you wouldn't be _interested_ in a Greek epic poem," he defended quickly, Ryuuzaki casting an amused glance his way that didn't go unnoticed by the brunette.

"Light, I mean no offense by this, but sometimes you sound so sexist when you're talking to me," Musiko pointed out. "I don't think that's your _intent_, but being surprised and _assuming_ things about me like this really makes you sound of the opinion that women aren't quite as well _educated_ as men."

"Maybe it has to do with Japanese _culture_," she added, "but it's really grating on my nerves."

Light contemplated his next move quickly before answering, "It _wasn't_ my intent to sound sexist or to offend you. I _apologize_ if I did."

"It's more of a matter of _experience_ than _culture_, to be honest," the young man explained. "I haven't met many women who are quiet like you here in Japan."

"_Again_, please forgive me," he stressed his apology.

She smiled slightly, satisfied as she returned, "It's alright, as long as you try not to act so _surprised_ or _assume_ things about me. I don't like it when people make assumptions that aren't based on logic."

He gave a nod, "I believe it was _my_ turn?"

Musiko blinked, briefly trying to recall as she replied, "Uhm... _Yeah_. Shoot."

"Favorite number?" he inquired, returning to the game.

"Thirteen," she shot back before looking to Ryuuzaki.

"Favorite actor?" the detective asked.

She clicked her tongue a couple of times, then gave her answer confidently, "Pretty hard question, but I'd say Harrison Ford, the only man I've seen who's still _hot_ at his age. And Indiana Jones with the _whip_ and the _hat_? Fucking A."

Musiko smirked, then giggled at their surprised looks, the two young men exchanging a glance.

"W-Who's turn is it?" Light questioned, so shocked at her blunt, open reply that he'd forgotten who'd gone last.

"That would be _your_ turn," the singer said helpfully with a little grin.

Light thought a moment, then asked, "Favorite movie?"

"The Adventures of Mark Twain, which is a claymation for kids that would actually scare the _shit_ out of someone who isn't in their teens," expressed the singer at length, laughing at the thought of the movie. "It's a _psychedelic_ little acid trip with diversions into morose _nihilism_. It's great stuff."

She then looked to Ryuuzaki, awaiting his question.

He thought a moment, then questioned easily out of curiosity to her last answer, "Favorite scene in your favorite movie?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" she exclaimed, laughing lightly. "I love the part when Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher meet a creepy character with no head, just a mask that changes shape. He says he's an angel, and when they ask his name, he says _Satan_."

Her eyebrows lifted as she grinned, looking at their puzzled and surprised reactions.

"_Satan_?" echoed the brunette, crossing his arms. "And this movie was directed at _children_?"

"I know, _right_? It's creepy as _hell_, no pun intended," she said enthusiastically, then began animatedly explaining the scene. "The kids all help him build a sand castle and sand people, and Satan rambles on about how humans are interesting, but worthless. He brings the sand people to life, then he _kills_ two of them before creating a storm and an earthquake, all the sand people sucked into the split earth. And then Satan's like, 'I can do no wrong for I do not know what it is'. And the kids are like, 'Holy shit! You _murdered_ them!' But Satan's all, 'Nevermind them. People are of no value'."

She paused, taking a breath and apologizing for her overenthusiastic display, "I got _excited_, but _anyway_... The children flee, like they _should_ have done to _begin_ with the minute he said his name was Satan, and then Satan's talking to himself. I know the lines by heart. He says, 'Life itself is only a vision - a _dream_. Nothing exists, save empty space and you, and _you_ are but a thought'."

"Deep shit aimed at children," the raven-haired woman concluded, grinning. "I _love_ it."

"Well, regarding Satan _himself_, if he doesn't know what _wrong_ is, how can he say that he _does_ no wrong to begin with?" Light questioned thoughtfully, pondering over the entire thing. "You can't reference what you don't understand."

"You're _thinking_ too hard, Light," Musiko told him. "All the ideas expressed are supposed to be coming from _Mark Twain_, so it's not as though the Satan character is truly the one _speaking_ to the children."

"I see. And that would accurately detail how a writer expresses ideas through their work," he returned, seeing her point.

Musiko turned her gaze to the raven-haired detective who had so far been silent, asking, "What do _you_ think, Ryuuzaki?"

He thought everything presented over and replied, "I believe the scene is to be viewed as if Mark Twain were speaking for Satan, as you suggested, and that we're to believe Satan is then at the stage sometime _before_ his fall from heaven."

"It expresses Satan's possible opinions and ideas that led him to rebelling against God. It's a bit of _guess work_ at how Satan felt just before his fall from grace, and it effectively poses a question of how an angel could _disobey_ God when created solely for the purpose to _serve_ God," he carried on, nibbling at his thumb. "Angels should have no sense of _right_ and _wrong_ if their only purpose were to do God's work."

"I fully agree," she replied to his assessment. "It's _another_ unanswered question about Judeo-Christianity; just one among _many_."

Clearly, the onyx-eyed detective was winning her favor, but Light simply crossed his arms with a determined look about his reddish-brown eyes.

An idea then struck him, the young brunette offering his thought, "Why don't we play _truth or dare_?"

"Aren't we a little _old_ for that game?" Musiko asked disbelievingly, brow quirked.

"Let's make the questions and dares more mature," suggested the young man, grinning to himself.

Musiko's dark eyes narrowed in thought as her bottom lip slid between her teeth.

"I guess I'm up for it," she the answered, looking to Ryuuzaki, "if _Ryuuzaki_ is."

Said detective pondered Light's objective, and answered with a nod of consent.

"Ladies first," Light allowed.

Musiko thought a bit before saying, "Truth to Ryuuzaki: Misa once mentioned that she thought you might be _gay_ to me because of the handcuffs."

After a light laugh, she inquired, "Do you actually _lean_ that way, or is she just making things up again?"

Knowing him better than that, Musiko was sure he didn't swing that way, but she wanted to hear how he would reply.

She smirked at his wide eyes which slowly returned to normal, the detective replying, "I accept. I don't have an attraction to males."

"I believe you," the singer said with a shrug, slightly amused with his way of expressing his answer. "Your turn."

The raven-haired detective thought over his move, still pondering Light's motive for initiating this particular game. There was one thing he was curious to know, however.

He then directed his question to Musiko, "Truth to Musiko: How many men have you slept with?"

"I accept," the songstress gave in, pausing a moment merely for the suspense factor. "I've slept with _two_ men."

"Who were they?" he immediately asked, eyes narrowed.

"Uh-uh. You only get _one_ question," Musiko scolded, waving a finger at him. "It's _my_ turn."

She clicked her tongue, thinking so deeply that she began to tug on her bottom lip in her habitual way.

Finally, she looked to Light, "Truth to Light: How many women have _you_ slept with?"

He answered without skipping a beat, "I accept and I've only slept with one woman."

Ryuuzaki looked from the brunette to the singer, seeing the two gaze at each other just a little too long. It was clue enough to suggest Light had slept with Musiko. His eyes narrowed once more.

"Truth to Musiko: Out of _everyone_ you've kissed, who is the best kisser?" Light immediately asked.

"I accept and the answer is," she began, pausing for effect, "Yukisuzu."

Both men looked slightly surprised, obviously having thought she would name one of them, Musiko inwardly laughing at their arrogance.

"Truth to Ryuuzaki: If you had to choose between _winning_ against _Kira_ or saving the person you hypothetically were in _love_ with from," the raven-haired singer began, quickly thinking up the second piece of her question, "falling in _love_ with _Kira forever_ so far that she would commit _suicide_ if he should die... the second choice additionally causing Kira to remain _free permanently_... which, oh _which_, would you choose?"

Light's eyes widened; it was a completely unexpected question and she seemed very interested in the answer.

Meanwhile, Ryuuzaki pondered the two options over. If he saved her from falling in love with Kira, whom he believed to be Light Yagami, Kira would continue killing with no end. But if he _didn't_ save her, she would belong to Light and moreover Kira _himself_.

Logic would say that he should do the greater good by stopping Kira, but a part of him curiously, yet _not_ so curiously, felt ill at ease to allow the woman he loved to remain forever infatuated with a mass murderer such as _Misa Amane_ so tragically was.

The question posed an almost _impossible_ choice, his thumb to his lips as he thought it over carefully, taking the question very seriously.

If he allowed her to love Kira and he caught him, Kira would no doubt be executed, which meant that she would commit suicide. It was one life that he truly cared for against the lives of thousands that he didn't know.

'_It would be __**human**__, I suppose, to choose love over defeating evil,_' reasoned Ryuuzaki. '_She is essentially asking if my sense of __**justice**__ is stronger than what I __**felt**__ for her, yet she doesn't realize that I __**still**__ feel that way._ '

He replied softly, "I accept."

Pausing, he mentally reassured himself of his answer before speaking, "Right _now_, having experienced love _before_, I can truthfully say that I would... save the woman I loved."

Musiko looked intrigued by his answer, questioning, "Are you _sure_ that's what you would do if actually faced with this choice? You'd be allowing _thousands_ of people to _die_ in order to save one person that you _happened_ to love."

"Would you _really_ be able to live with that choice?" the songstress pressed, curiosity heightened. "I know it's not my turn, but inquiring minds want to know."

"I'm certain," replied the raven-haired detective firmly. "I'm _childish_ and ultimately _selfish_; winning over Kira would amount to very little if the one person I was deeply connected to _died_ as a result."

He reaffirmed his position on the matter resolutely, "I'd choose the woman I loved."

"_Wow_, Ryuuzaki," Light said in amazement, surprised not only at the detective's choice, but at how easily it had come. "I didn't imagine you would actually choose _love_ over _justice_."

The detective looked back at his suspect and rival, "Perhaps that means you've never been truly in love?"

Light's eyes narrowed, Ryuuzaki staring back with nonchalance.

"Err, _anyway_," Musiko interrupted the uncomfortable moment, catching their attention. "It's _Ryuuzaki's_ turn."

Ryuuzaki immediately gave his question, "Truth to Musiko: Who are the two men you've slept with?"

She sighed at the fact that he so diligently remembered that question from earlier as she replied, "I accept. I've slept with Light and Yukisuzu."

Ryuuzaki's eyes widened; he had made an educated guess that she'd slept with _Light_, but he hadn't even _thought_ she'd truly slept with Yukisuzu.

"Why do you look so _surprised_?" Musiko questioned his astonished expression, the singer confused.

She suddenly realized her mistake, explaining, "I forgot to tell you that Yukisuzu and I were in a relationship while you and I weren't in touch... _Yeah_, it lasted about a _year_ before we mutually agreed to end it."

* * *

The three reverted back to the favorites game, Musiko initiating the change, but the entire time, she felt like something was off with the two men.

"_Ya know_," Musiko began, crossing her arms, forefinger tapping to her arm in time with her bobbing leg, "I can tell there's something going on, that you both know what it is, and that you're not telling me."

Light smiled reassuringly, "You shouldn't worry about it."

"You're right," she gave in rather easily as her arms fell, the two surprised to hear her give up without a fight. "I have _enough_ to worry about without adding something _else_ onto my list. I'll just wait until you both decide to fill me in."

'_She's very intelligent, but she's highly __**naive**__ where matters of __**love**__ are concerned,_' Light noted of the dark-haired woman, still determined to win her affection.

'_I'm not __**quite**__ as stupid as you both seem to __**think**__,_' thought Musiko silently, summing up the situation in her head. '_It's a competition __**between**__ them and it has to do with __**me**__, which must mean Lawliet is trying to make Light think he __**loves**__ me so he can __**protect**__ me! But to go to these lengths..._'

The young woman mentally sighed at the new state of affairs, inwardly thinking of the onyx-eyed detective's new moves in this oversized chess game, '_I wish my life were a __**little**__ easier._'


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Winnie the Pooh likes honey. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Seven - Six of Diamonds (Anxiety)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- Even after the individual's name, the time of death, and death condition on the Death Note were filled out, the time and condition of death can be altered as many times as you want, as long as it is changed within 6 minutes and 40 seconds from the time it was filled in._

_But, of course, this is only possible before the victim dies._

* * *

The next day at headquarters, two beeps caught Ryuuzaki's attention as he was sitting in his chair in the main room of the facility, in route to take another bite of his cake. Watari's letter appeared on his laptop screen.

"Ryuuzaki," Watari spoke.

"Yes? What is it?" the detective asked.

"Detective Eraldo Coil has just received a private request to investigate and reveal the identity of L," Watari explained, Light standing from his seat.

Soichiro walked over with Mogi, inquiring, "Isn't Eraldo Coil supposed to be the second greatest detective in the _world_, after L _himself_? _Who_ on earth would _send_ such a request?"

A man's picture and stats appeared on L's computer, Watari responding, "The man who sought out Coil's services is Masahiko Kida... the head of the Rights and Planning Department of the Yotsuba group's headquarters in Tokyo."

"So it _is_ Yotsuba," concluded the Chief.

Light looked down to the raven-haired detective, "We _know_ that Yotsuba must be linked to Kira--"

"Kira is a prominent member of the Yotsuba group," interrupted Musiko abruptly, everyone turning to find the singer with Yukisuzu at her side as usual.

"I say this because his _modus operandi_ indicates that he _does not_ work alone. I believe he gains approval from his peers on the times and causes of death for each victim," she carried on, giving her on-the-spot analysis. "Kira _himself_ needing to consult others indicates a lack of true leadership skills, but he's likely a greedy individual concerned mainly with maintaining a high rank in Yotsuba or even attaining a promotion. He's definitely _not_ killing criminals because he _wants_ to. His _real_ concern is his job, which indicates that he's a selfish person."

"Bu--" Light began to interject.

Ryuuzaki waved a hand frantically at the brunette as he kept his eyes trained on Musiko, muttering an order, "Quiet."

"I don't feel that he's very intelligent, but I could be _wrong_ about that," the woman went on to assess thoughtfully, shrugging. "I believe he's the sort of individual who won't be able to handle unfavorable situations very well. If he thinks we're close to _catching_ him or _revealing_ him, he'll panic outwardly. I _also_ think he may be a very cautious, perhaps paranoid person - his house may have a very good security system."

Her eyes rolled heavenward and then back down to the others, "That's all for now."

"Thank you, Musiko," said the raven-haired detective before looking to Light. "You were saying?"

"If Yotsuba is trying to find out L's identity, it's _probably_ because they want to _kill_ him and need that information to _do_ it," the brunette continued his interrupted thought.

"This isn't good," said Soichiro. "We're _already_ short-handed enough as it is, and _now_ we have to worry about _Coil_, too."

"It's quite alright," Ryuuzaki assured through a mouthful of cake. "The detective known as Eraldo Coil is _me_... It's quite _simple_, really; _three_ of the greatest detectives in the world - L, Coil, and Deneuve - they're all actually me."

"It's been my experience that people who try to find me usually fall for this," he added, picking up a strawberry and turning to the others. "I'll give you this strawberry if you keep it a secret, _okay_?"

Mogi took the bribe item, putting it in his pocket.

"I'm impressed, as always, Ryuuzaki," Light told the detective respectfully.

Musiko turned to Yukisuzu after they had listened to the others, asking quietly, "Which ones have you finished? I know we only bought all supplies _yesterday_, but still."

His finger twirled a strand of his white hair, answering her inquiry, "I've finished pieces for all the Kira investigation members, one for Misa Amane, and one for Kira."

She grinned merrily, "You work fast."

"They're just _finger puppets_," he replied simply with a smirk.

* * *

"Alright. I just have to get close to him, _right_?" Aiber said in conclusion of the orders he'd just been issued, standing near a laptop in the main room of headquarters. "Leave it to me."

Musiko watched the man with movie star looks, sighing dreamily from her place near the couches, the singer's hands clasped near her thumping heart, body swaying rhythmically to her mental melody of infatuation.

Yukisuzu, who was standing beside her, watched her actions with amusement. He knew she always fell for the handsome, bad boy type insofar that she'd act like a lovesick fan girl when one was present, but Light and Ryuuzaki had no clue.

'_I know her so much better than they do,_' the white-haired young man thought to himself, smiling slightly at her sparkling eyes. '_It hardly seems __**fair**__, all things considered, but it would probably be a good deed to tell them... But I think I'd rather let them stay jealous._'

Wedy, standing near the others, inquired, "And... you want me to make sure we're able to breach the security, and override the surveillance cameras in the Yotsuba group's head office. ..._Is_ that all?"

"Yes," Ryuuzaki replied to the blonde woman, watching Musiko stare shamelessly at Aiber. "At _this_ point, it's safe to assume that Kira and the Yotsuba group are connected in some way. ...We're going to investigate Yotsuba to determine who holds Kira's power, and if there's more than one person who _possesses_ this ability."

"We need a _clear_ understanding _quickly_," he added, looking around at the others. "We _cannot_ let anyone from Yotsuba figure out that we are investigating them. Please realize that if they _do_ notice, it means we won't be able to catch Kira."

"Please be sure not to act impulsively out of panic or haste," the detective went on to say. "And don't take matters into your own hands."

Musiko's eyes unfocused, the singer rubbing her temples before closing her eyes. She saw a fuzzy vision, gasping.

"Oh, _shit_! Ryuuzaki!" she called frantically. "I had a vision. It's Matsu... I saw him in a building with his ear to a door, and then he fell in, and I think it was at a _Yotsuba_ meeting..."

"He's in trouble," concluded the psychic, then she issued her advice in light of the situation. "Just... wait until he hits the belt button. I saw him pull out a card, showing he represents Misa, _so_ he's probably formed some kind of alibi."

Ryuuzaki sighed deeply, everyone else looking aggravated at the news.

"_Hey_!" Musiko barked, catching everyone's attention.

Hands to her hips, she admonished them, "Don't act like it's entirely _his_ fault for this! You guys treat him like a useless _lackey_, so what'd you _expect_ him to do? The guy just wants to _help_, and Ryuuzaki politely orders him to get more _coffee_."

She crossed her arms, nodding to herself as she spoke, "Treating stupid people like _stupid_ people makes them do stupid things."

Her eyes widen at the realization of what she'd said, the singer waving her hands, "No, no! That came _out_ wrong! I didn't mean he was _stupid_!"

Aiber laughed, watching the woman frantically correct herself.

Musiko sighed deeply, shoulders slumping, "Oh, _nevermind_..."

"_Yes_, he's _stupid_..." she trailed off in admittance, then added in Matsuda's defense, "but he's so _sweet_, _cute_, eager to _help_ and _adorable_."

Pointing warningly at the others, she added with a tone of warning, "If anyone tells him what I said, I'll kick their ass."

The con man laughed again, looking to Ryuuzaki as his thumb pointed to Musiko, "Where'd you _find_ her? She seems like fun."

"We knew each other as children," the raven-haired detective replied.

In the blink of an eye, Musiko was at the man's side, hands down and clasped before her as her form swayed once more, the young woman smiling as cutely as possible.

"I'm Musiko Hanabi," she explained, eyes sparkling once again as she stared up at Aiber.

Aiber smirked, now recognizing her and looking to Ryuuzaki, "How'd you get a famous _singer_ to join the _Kira_ investigation?"

"I double as a detective, and I used to be a negotiator," Musiko answered, Ryuuzaki slowly closing his mouth he'd opened to answer with.

Light crossed his arms, watching the woman and wondering why the con man had reduced her to acting like a lovestruck pre-teen. He never expected to see Musiko in such a state, even when she claimed to love him. She was acting more infatuated with Aiber than Misa Amane acted around himself. But, if only to _himself_, he would admit slight jealousy.

Suddenly, the familiar W appeared on Ryuuzaki's computer screen.

"Ryuuzaki," said the elder man's voice, catching everyone's attention.

"Yes, what is it?" the detective inquired, though he was certain it was about Matsuda's little stunt.

"I have just received an emergency signal from Matsuda's belt," the elder man explained.

Ryuuzaki asked, "It's coming from Yotsuba, isn't it?"

"Why, yes," Watari replied, sounding a bit surprised that Ryuuzaki should ask.

"Yes. Musiko had a _premonition_ of this," the raven-haired man went on to say.

Watari returned, "I see."

The young detective turned to the others, "In light of this, we'll have to rethink our strategy."

* * *

Matsuda answered his phone, "_Hello_?"

On the other end of the line, Ryuuzaki used his acting skills, "Yo, Matsui! Ah, it's _me_, Asahi! It's been a _while_, buddy!"

"Asahi!" Matsuda replied, playing along as he sat on a couch before two Yotsuba employees. "_Yeah_, it's been a long time!"

"Haha. Doesn't sound like you're _out_ right now," commented 'Asahi'. "Don't tell me you're _home_ already."

"Yeah."

"_So_, you by _yourself_?"

"Yeah, I'm by myself," answered Matsuda. "What's up?"

Ryuuzaki covered his phone, talking to Light and Soichiro, "He's not with Misa Amane right now. Matsuda must be on his own."

The pair nodded in agreement.

He held up the phone once more, "So, do you wanna, _like_, go out _drinking_ tonight?"

Musiko grimaced, fingers immediately going in her ears as his fake voice became to obnoxious to bear.

"_Huh_? Right _now_?" asked Matsuda in return. "Oh, sorry. I'll have to _pass_ tonight."

"_Aw_. What's the _matter_?" inquired 'Asahi'. "Don't tell me your wallet is _in trouble_ again."

"Yeah, that's right," replied the other man. "_Big_ troubles... with _money_! You know me _way_ too well."

The detective covered the phone once more, informing the others, "Matsuda's saying he's in big trouble."

Once more, Ryuuzaki replied as Asahi, "Oh, that's too bad."

"Guess I'll drag you out some other time, alright?" 'Asahi concluded. "See ya."

Musiko choked, fingers pressing to her temples. She saw cards on a table, one belonging to Matsuda, and the other with a picture of Misa on it. Then the vision landed on a card with her _own_ image on it, Musiko noticing it was one that her first manager, Yuki, usually held.

"Oh, that little bastard!" shouted Musiko once Ryuuzaki had hung up, everyone looking over to her. "He's got one of my _cards_ on the table!"

She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket, speed dialing her first manager and walking off to the side.

Unfortunately for her, she got Yuki's voicemail, though she proceeded to scream.

"Yuki! Why the _hell_ did you give Matsui my card?!" she barked, everyone watching her outburst.

Suddenly, Yuki picked up, screaming back as Musiko held the phone away from her ear, "Because he wouldn't _shut up_! When we met, every five _seconds_, he was begging for a card, so I had to give him one or I would have _killed_ him! Stop _yelling_ at me!"

"Your brillant move means he's gonna pitch me to _Yotsuba_!" shouted Musiko, shaking with fury and ignoring the little woman's command.

"Isn't that a _good_ thing?!" Yuki asked loudly. "It's not like you found a secret shrine of _Musiko_ photos in his _closet_ or something!"

Musiko effectively lost her rage in the moment, speaking normally, "Now _that's_ just a creepy thing to _suggest_."

"Yes, that _was_ a bit much," Yuki agreed in a level tone before yelling once more. "But you still haven't told me how being pitched to Yotsuba is _bad_!"

"I can't _tell_ you, Yu," the raven-haired woman ground out between clenched teeth, regaining her anger. "Just never give out my card to someone like _Matsui_ again. _Got it_?"

"Fine, fine. Whatever you want, _Your Majesty_," replied her manager, both women hanging up.

Musiko snapped her cell phone shut and rubbed her temple with a sigh.

The others carried on silently, Light attempting to contact Misa.

Meanwhile, Yukisuzu walked over to the singer, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm going to survive," she answered with deep breaths to calm her dragon-sized rage. "I would be much better, however, if only reality didn't _insist_ on ruining my life."

"You _do_ seem extremely stressed," the young man returned.

"I just didn't want to be put in a position where I may directly interact with Kira," explained the frustrated young woman. "I _already_ have _enough_ stressful situations."

* * *

"What are you planning to do, Ryuuzaki?" Soichiro asked, referring to the situation with Matsuda.

"_Well_," the raven-haired detective began, "we have to consider that if Matsuda dies, our suspicions about the Yotsuba group would be confirmed."

"Well, that's a _terrible_ thing to say," Musiko commented, arms crossed.

"Let's just watch the situation for the time being," he concluded.

* * *

"Misa's just received a call from Matsuda," Light announced, cell phone to his ear.

Oddly enough, Musiko's phone rang moments later, the singer flipping it open.

"What is it, Yuki?" the singer asked.

Yuki replied more calmly than earlier, "Matsui called a few minutes ago and said something about Yotsuba. They're apparently considering you to provide music for marketing, as well as the use of your image. He said Misa Amane is _also_ being considered to work beside you. _Oh_, and he wants you to pop over to Yotsuba."

Musiko sighed, returning, "Thank you, Yuki. My second manager and I will handle it from here."

"_Second manager_?!" Yuki screeched, having never heard of this.

Musiko simply closed her cell phone, turning to the others, Ryuuzaki just having asked Light about Misa.

"I have to go to Yotsuba," Musiko proclaimed gloomily, taking off with Yukisuzu in tow.

* * *

Misa and Musiko now stood before a group of Yotsuba employees with their respective handlers, Misa looking particularly more enthusiastic.

"I'm Misa Misa," the blonde model slash actress announced merrily. "My only rule is I don't do nudes, but swimsuits and lingerie are _totally_ okay... It's _really_ nice to meet you."

"I'm Musiko Hanabi," said Musiko, standing near Yukisuzu. "I wear whatever I want, just like my fans and myself demand. I make all my lyrics, and anything I provide for you will be made by myself. Those are my rules."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, gentlemen," she said more politely, bowing deeply.

"Huh. I gotta admit," one man began to mention, "Misa really _is_ really cute in person."

"That's not exactly the _main_ issue now, wouldn't you agree?" asked another.

"By the way, Matsu, since Yotsuba's a big catch, I got the okay from our office to have a _special_ reception," Misa told him with a wink and a smile.

"Reception?" he asked in return.

* * *

"Good evening!" chorused a line of women in sleeveless tops, heart-shaped holes at their chests, revealing their cleavage. "We're _very_ pleased to meet you!"

Misa, wearing the same type of top, announced, "Tonight, I'll be entertaining you as our special guests along with girls from the agency... _and Musiko Hanabi_."

Musiko stood, brooding in a corner and wearing her usual sort of attire, expression bored and aggravated. She just couldn't fake enthusiasm for being dragged into this mess.

"Hey," one man said. "Is it just _me_, or is this gettin' weird?"

One with glasses replied, "Well, it can't be helped. Right _now_, we can't afford to leave Misa's manager alone for a _second_."

Another man with long hair and a bit of a mustache commented, "Let's just _go_ with it. I'm gonna _enjoy_ myself."

Musiko glowered, moving out the sliding door to the small balcony.

Matsuda watched her leave, following her discreetly.

"Are you alright, Miss Hanabi?" he asked the singer, walking up beside her.

"Why did you drag me into this?" the woman questioned, looking over to him. "Misa's a big enough bait without adding me on like a _side dish_.

"I really thought you had _some_ sort of sense, and I even _stuck up_ for you about this whole wanting to prove yourself thing, but I guess I was wrong and it was a wasted effort because you seem _incapable_ of thinking before you act," Musiko scolded him harshly.

She turned to face him fully, continuing her lecture, "I _know_ how bad you wanted to help, but you put both Misa and I in danger because of your _rash_, _impulsive_ attempt at proving your worth."

"You have to start acting like an adult when it's appropriate, Matsu," the raven-haired singer impressed upon him. "Doing something like this on your own without discussing a plan with at least _myself_ - someone who you _know_ would have helped you - is akin to something a reckless _teenager_ would do."

"You _don't_ have to feel useless, and you _don't_ have to prove yourself," she assured him. "And you _don't_ have to do things _alone_."

"_Remember_ that," she finished her lecture, turning and walking back into the building.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Gregory House likes vicodin. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Eight - Three of Hearts (Opportunity)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- Whenever you want to change anything written on the Death Note within 6 minutes and 40 seconds after you wrote, you must first rule out the characters you want to erase with two straight lines._

* * *

Matsuda looked out to the buildings against the night sky, thinking over Musiko's words. He hadn't considered how his actions could put anyone else in danger, the realization of this tugging at his heart. It wasn't as though he didn't care about troubling Musiko and Misa, so he felt the heavy burden of endangering them on his shoulders.

He decided he would apologize to Musiko and Misa when and if he got out of this situation alive.

Turning, he went back inside, cup of sake still in hand. He excused himself quietly, making it to the bathroom and phoning Ryuuzaki.

* * *

Musiko's cell phone rang, the singer in her corner once again as she flipped the phone open.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Ryuuzaki came up with a plan," Light answered, straight to the point.

After he explained in detail, Musiko commented, "Sounds good. Later."

She hung up right as Matsuda came back from the restroom, busting the door open with his foot.

Putting on the most surprised face she could muster, she watched his performance.

"_Woooow_, I am _so_ drunk," he said in a slurred voice.

Musiko almost choked on air, trying desperately not to laugh at his poor acting. Had Matsuda ever actually been _drunk_ before? She highly doubted it.

Her dark eyes followed him as he mumbled and headed towards the balcony.

"Now the moment you've all been _waiting_ for!" he called, still attempting to sound completely tanked. "The Taro Matsui show! Hahahahaa!"

Matsuda was soon on top of the railing on the balcony, balancing precariously.

"_Yaaaay_! You can do it!" Misa cheered. "Go Matsu!"

Musiko looked at the blonde with a glare; Amane hadn't even been informed of the plan, so her careless words pissed the raven-haired singer off.

"_Shut up_, Misa!" she snapped, still able to feign worry through her anger. "He's going to get himself _killed_!"

Her eyes then returned to Matsuda, said man now standing up and balancing shakily.

One of the Yotsuba employees rushed to the open door to the balcony.

"Hey, you're _drunk_. That's _way_ too dangerous," the man warned.

"Don't worry; I'm just fine," Matsuda assured through his slur. "I do this all the time."

Seconds later, he was balancing on his hands, Musiko hoping he could fall correctly.

When he slipped, or otherwise pretended to, the singer gasped.

While Aiber, dressed as Matsuda, laid on the ground, Wedy did a horrible acting job of pretending to find him. And meanwhile, Misa handled the Yotsuba men, Musiko going out on the balcony and looking over the edge.

Once the men had left, the body picked up by an ambulance, her cell phone rang.

"Yes?" asked the raven-haired woman, standing up straight from where she'd been looking over the railing.

"How are things in the room?" Light inquired, Musiko turning to look inside and finding all the men had dispersed as instructed.

She replied, looking back out at the city, "They're all gone."

"Everything went smoothly," she added. "I'll be leaving soon. Later."

* * *

About a week later, Wedy had cameras watching the meetings at Yotsuba, Musiko coming down the stairs into the main room just as an interesting question caught her ears.

"But if there's supposed to be _eight_," Soichiro began in question, "why are there only _seven_?"

The raven-haired woman took a look at the screen, noticing one board member was missing, then turning and hurrying down the stairs.

"If you'll give me a moment, I'm fairly sure I can answer your question," she said to the Chief, walking over to one of the couches before a coffee table.

She dug into her black, leather purse, pulling out her playing cards.

After her fingers grazed every card, her energy spread onto each, she went about placing her spread. Once finished, she reviewed her findings and looked up to the others who were watching.

"He's _dead_, which isn't very surprising," she told them, looking back down to her cards. "Before death, he must have been very anxious and scared... I can only assume he said something that made the others and Kira decide to kill him."

Shuffling her cards, she tried another spread, reviewing the results.

She looked up, brow furrowed as she informed them, "I tried to figure out the cause of death, but apparently the means for Kira victims' deaths can never be revealed by my cards."

"Nothing's ever _that_ easy," the woman concluded, pooling her cards together and returning them to her pack.

"Ryuuzaki. How _reliable_ are Miss Hanabi's Tarot readings?" the Chief questioned the woman's methods at last, attempting to remain civil. "Are we really going to rely--"

"Dad," Light said, catching his attention. "Musiko's readings are very accurate."

He added, "I was skeptical at first, so she did a reading for me and gave me information no one _else_ would know. ...I think we can trust her abilities."

* * *

The board members on screen soon established clearly that Kira was among them and killing for them, one member with glasses now speaking.

"_I_ think we should focus on ELF Insurance," he said, reading a paper in his hand. "If they _expand_ in the Japanese market, Yotsuba and many other companies will lose valuable _clients_ to them."

"Agreed," replied a bald man with glasses. "Alright. Any objections to _killing_ these people from ELF with accidental deaths?"

"No objections," chorused the other board members.

"Is this for _real_?" Light asked rhetorically, appalled. "How can they _do_ this so _easily_?"

Musiko lied down on her couch, musing aloud, "Corporate greed in _unison_..."

"But it makes me _wonder_..." she trailed off, then carried on her thoughts. "If this Kira is kowtowing to the _first_ by killing _criminals_, was the first - _Light_, according to Ryuuzaki - gaining anything in return?"

"Does this mean the _Yotsuba_ Kira is _aware_ of what he's doing?" the woman questioned further. "Does that mean the first Kira was _aware_ and essentially _hired_ this Yotsuba Kira for some reason?"

"What are you trying to _say_, Miss Hanabi?" questioned Soichiro through clenched teeth, fists flexing.

"Don't worry; I'm not accusing your son of still being Kira," the singer assured the older man evasively, knowing he wouldn't fully comprehend her inferred accusations. "I just wonder... if maybe the _true_ Kira is waiting and watching..."

The board members carried on, naming yet another potential candidate for death.

"_Kira_, deaths by _accident_, by _disease_, designated _times_ of death?" Light rambled off a list, looking down to Ryuuzaki from where he stood beside him. "It's _all_ just as we _suspected_. We were _right_."

Ryuuzaki continued stirring his concoction of ice cream, chocolate syrup and sugar cubes as he replied, "No. _Unfortunately_, we can only be completely _sure_ after those people they've named are _dead_."

This, of course, shocked Light and Soichiro.

"We will continue to _monitor_ these meetings and take note of what they _say_, how they _act_, and most _importantly_, whether the people they choose actually _die_," the detective went on to say, lifting a tower of marshmallows lightly covered in chocolate syrup, all carefully balanced on his spoon. "_If_ we can confirm the connection _between_ their plans and the _deaths_... then we'll _definitely_ be able to _catch_ Kira."

The raven-haired man opened his mouth to eat his creation when both son and father called in unison, "_Ryuuzaki_!"

His sweet concoction falling, he only caught one marshmallow, looking between the two as he asked, "_What_ is it? There's no need to yell in _unison_."

"I can't carry on knowing these people will _die_!" Light protested. "That's just _immoral_!"

"Right!" Soichiro chorused in agreement.

'_Here it comes,_' Ryuuzaki thought, dreading the impending speech.

"I know you're planning to _catch_ Kira by letting these guys actually carry out these murders, but... we _can't_ let that happen!" the young brunette said adamantly.

"That's right," Soichiro added. "It's _obvious_ that these seven men are behind the killings. With Matsuda's testimony and this footage we've recorded, we have _all_ the evidence."

Ryuuzaki replied to their mutual grievances, "You're making this _difficult_. If we _were_ to take action now, everything we've _done_ will go to _waste_."

Musiko sighed to herself, staring up at the ceiling, '_I wish those two __**idealists**__ could comprehend that lives must be sacrificed sometimes... As smart as he is, Light is decidedly __**naive**__ about this without knowledge of the Death Note, although I do __**prefer**__ this version to Kira._'

Her mind returned to the conversation between the others, Musiko listening to the Chief.

"If _that's_ what they're going to do, then there's _not_ much time left," the older man stressed, then looked to his son. "Light. We already know the phone numbers of these _board_ members, don't we?"

Light walked over to the desk in front of the screen, answering as he retrieved a piece of paper and handed it to his father, "Yeah."

Taking the paper, Soichiro dug in his pocket for his phone, saying, "I don't care _who_ we call. I need to reach one of these men and have them _stop_ these murders."

"_Please_, hold on," Ryuuzaki finally interjected. "That will cause suspicion. It would _mean_ the investigation caught up to them three _days_ after they were contacted by Aiber."

He looked back down to the desk, picking up his cup of coffee as he went on to say, "_Also_, it would make it... _far_ more unlikely that we would be able to discover who the real Kira might _be_."

"We can't afford such a huge _setback_ seeing how _far_ we've come," he told them before taking a sip of his coffee.

Setting down his cup, the raven-haired man continued, "In order to _catch_ Kira, we are going to need some _solid_ proof."

Light looked away from the detective, eyes returning to the screen of Yotsuba employees as he spoke in return, "_Ryuuzaki_, if _one_ of these seven men is in fact _Kira_, would it be safe to say that if I try _calling_ one of them, the odds of that person actually _being_ Kira is going to be one in seven?"

The detective, looking up to the brunette who stood to his right, answered his inquiry, "_I'm_... thinking there could be more than one Kira _among_ them; a probability of two in seven at _most_."

"If we're prepared to let them _know_ that the investigation is catching up to them," Light began, hand to the desk as he continued to watch the screen, "let's place our bets on these odds."

"Ryuuzaki," he began, decided on their next action, "_I'm_ going to pose as L."

"Judging from their conversation so far," the young man carried on, "the one _least_ likely to be Kira but with the most influence is--"

Everyone but Matsuda said the same name, Musiko giggling quietly.

"Namikawa, _huh_?" the singer muttered, sitting up and taking out her deck from her purse.

She shuffled her cards, then placed her spread, taking in the answers.

"According to my spread, Namikawa is a good choice," the raven-haired woman announced, stacking her cards, then piling them back into their box.

She then slipped the cards into her purse before laying on the couch once more.

"If you're going to make a call, _please_ use this phone," the young detective instructed toward Light, looking to a black phone on the desk. "It's set up so it can't be _traced_ or _tapped_."

* * *

And so it went that Light called Namikawa, acting as L and convincing the man to play both sides - Kira and L - effectively delaying the murders.

* * *

"_That_ went well," commented Ryuuzaki once the younger Yagami's plan had been enacted.

Light muttered in concurrence, "Yeah."

"Namikawa is very level-headed and calm, not to mention _intelligent_," Musiko replied thoughtfully.

"_And_ pretty handsome," she added with a smirk, twirling a strand of hair as the raven-haired detective and his suspect looked back to the singer.

The onyx-eyed young man thought silently of the songstress, '_I never noticed how __**easily**__ Nyoko can take an interest in other men... Perhaps this calls for more of an __**effort**__ on my part._'

'_This is becoming a __**particularly**__ unwanted new trend,_' Light thought to himself along the same lines as the detective, the brunette's countenance turning determined. '_But I guess I'll just have to step up my game._'

Musiko turned her gaze to the others, noticing the two young men looking in her direction.

She blinked at them, "_What_?"

They both looked away.

"You really are _quite_ amazing, Light," the detective commented after a moment. "Not only did you manage to delay the _killings_, but you also set up Namikawa as a potential _mole_ for us."

"Sounded _exactly_ like the sort of thing _I_ would do," he added, "and you thought of it quicker than _I_ did."

"At _this_ rate," the dark-haired man carried on, thumb to his lips, "if I end up _dying_ somehow, it's quite possible that you would be capable of succeeding me."

Musiko almost choked on thin air, definitely not okay with the idea of having to work for Light. If he was the Light with no Death Note memories, she could handle him, but working for Light while he doubled as Kira wasn't a thrilling prospect.

"_What_? Why are you being so _morbid_?" demanded the brunette. "There isn't _time_ for that; we only have a _month_ to figure out Kira's identity and gather evidence against him to _prove_ it."

"This is _only_ the beginning," the young man concluded.

The raven-haired singer tuned the others out, imagining a world without Ryuuzaki where she would work for Light Yagami. She shuddered at the thought of pretending to love him for even longer than planned, scowling to herself.

* * *

"If I should _die_," began the raven-haired detective toward Light Yagami, Musiko now listening in, "would you take over for me as L?"

'_If he __**is**__ Kira, and just playing __**innocent**__, he's __**sure**__ to say yes,_' Ryuuzaki thought silently, awaiting the younger man's reply.

"Ryuuzaki... I'm _sorry_," apologized the brunette, "but I'm gonna _have_ to tell _everyone_ what you're really _thinking_ right now."

The young man explained to the others, "He thinks that if I _am_ Kira, then there are _two_ possibilities. Either I'm just _pretending_ I'm not him and putting on an _act_, or Kira's _power_... has passed on from _me_ to someone _else_ and I have _no memory_ that I was _ever_ Kira in the _first_ place."

"He's _trying_ to determine _which_, if _either_, is the truth," he expressed Ryuuzaki's thoughts. "The _first_ theory - if I _am_ putting on an act, he'll _always_ have me under constant surveillance. No, even if I _wasn't_ pretending to be innocent, I'm sure he'd _still_ have me constantly monitored."

"Ryuuzaki still _believes_ that I'm Kira," Light went on to say. "Even if that power had been passed to someone _else_, _he_ thinks that I would have planned to have it _returned_ to me once I'm safe from suspicion."

"In _other_ words, I wasn't being controlled at _all_," the brunette related to the others. "He thinks it was a _plan_... to pass on the power and arrange for it to come _back_ to me once I've been _cleared_."

'_Impressive,_' thought Ryuuzaki. '_You've figured out __**exactly**__ what I've been thinking all this time._'

"Ryuuzaki's _theory_ is that once I steal L's _title_, I would become Kira again," Light concluded his assessment.

"Correct," the raven-haired detective confirmed.

Light stared down at the older man, "Taking on the identity of L - having the power to control the police in every _country_ - while being Kira in _secret_; it's ideal."

"And you're thinking I could _do_ it," he added, then corrected. "No, that I _would_ do it. That's what you're _saying_, isn't it?"

The detective replied simply, "Yes."

"But what about _now_?" the younger man inquired. "I _told_ you, I don't _want_ your title. That should prove, even to _you_, that I'm _not_ putting on an _act_, shouldn't it?"

"If this _is_ all an act, and you _are_ trying to steal my identity," Ryuuzaki derived of the situation, "there's no _chance_ you'd be foolish enough to reveal your plan in _front_ of everyone, wouldn't you agree?"

Light placed his hand to the dark-eyed detective's shoulder, turning him around in his chair and leaning down to his eye level, "Ryuuzaki."

"Huh?"

"Do you _think_... that I'm actually _capable_ of becoming a _murderer_ - _Kira_?" Light asked the familiar question once again in a new form, hands to the older man's shoulders as he looked him straight in the eyes. "_Even_ after I help you _catch_ him, do I seem like that kind of _person_ to you?"

"Yes, you _do_," Ryuuzaki replied for the umpteenth time. "I've always _thought_ so."

Once again, fighting ensued, Light's fist in Ryuuzaki's face, and Ryuuzaki kicking Light.

"Not _again_," complained the Chief.

Musiko huffed, flipping through a magazine from where she lie on her back as she commented, "Light, you keep _asking_ him that same kind of question, and his actions and thoughts keep basically saying, 'Uh, _yeah_. That's why we were _embarrassingly_ cuffed together, and why you're now under twenty-four seven _surveillance_, but go ahead and ask again so I can tell you the same damn _thing_.'"

Meanwhile, Matsuda broke the two men apart.

The raven-haired singer sighed, flipping through Elle Japan boredly. Fighting between these two was now all too common to her. For the most part, she tuned them all out until she caught Ryuuzaki saying something interesting.

"Excuse me, _but_... I think from now on I should go after Kira with only the help of _Musiko_," the young, raven-haired detective declared, dropping sugar cubes into his coffee. "You can use these headquarters as you wish. Musiko and I will also be here, but we will be working _independently_. You can conduct your investigation under your _own_ direction. Feel free to _arrest_ those men, if you like."

"Musiko and I will be carrying on our _own_ investigation," stressed the young man, still placing sugar cubes in his coffee. "We'll only get into arguments if we don't split up and act _separately_ at this point."

He concluded, "This is for the best."

"Are you saying you're going to figure out who Kira is by any means _necessary_?" Soichiro questioned.

"Yes," Ryuuzaki confirmed his thought. "This case will never be _solved_ unless we capture Kira _himself_."

"Don't get me _wrong_," he added pointedly, "I wouldn't say that preventing more deaths is _pointless_. ...But if we don't uncover the _entire_ truth once and for all, _Kira_ will only appear again, and the number of victims will continue to _increase_."

"That's why I believe it's more important to find out who Kira really is," he explained, the final sugar cube on his sugary mountain falling and landing on the desk.

Ryuuzaki pushed away from the desk a bit, "As I've been _saying_, I'm _opposed_ to arresting those seven men."

"If _you_ want to do so," he said, looking to Soichiro, "then you will have to take responsibility for it."

The young man stood, "Musiko and I will pursue Kira on our _own_."

"We only have one _month_; I wonder who will succeed," Ryuuzaki pondered aloud, walking off toward the stairs.

He looked to Musiko, chin gesturing to the stairs, so she got up, obediently following the detective.

"Ryuuzaki, where are you going?" Light asked, following behind the two.

"To Amane's room," the detective replied, all three heading to said woman's floor.


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Animal Crossing likes to make bad fish jokes. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Uhm... You might consider some stuff in here the Authoress' way of Misa-bashing, and I guessed you'd be right, but I can't help wanted to smack her upside the head sometimes, and it comes out in my descriptions. I have a love/hate relationship with that character. Sorry!

Also, someone said something about fluff, so I added a little "awww" moment of Ryuuzaki thinking something concerning Musiko. (I won't be more specific since I don't want to spoil it.) It's really, _really_ minor fluff.

Oh, and thanks for all your reviews! Reviews made this chapter possible, because without reviews, my inspiration dies.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Nine - Jack of Spades (Change)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- As you see above, the time and condition of death can be changed, but once the victim's name has been written, the individual's death can never be avoided._

* * *

Ryuuzaki, Musiko and Light all wandered into a room on Misa Amane's floor.

"Light!" Misa called happily from her seat on a cream-colored couch, though she gave Musiko a glare before looking back to her one true love. "_I_ didn't know we were supposed to have a da-- Wait. _Ryuuzaki and Musiko_?"

Musiko rubbed her temples, muttering, "Please stop _hating_ me for something that's not my _fault_."

"Yeah, _right_," Misa retorted. "_You're_ trying to take my Light away from me!"

"That _would_ be very dark," Ryuuzaki commented.

"Someone hold me back," the singer ordered, suddenly diving toward the blonde with intent to maim.

Ryuuzaki held her back by the back of her collar, Musiko clawing the air desperately.

"_Liiiight_!" Misa squealed in such an annoying tone that the singer struggled harder. "She tried to _attack_ me!"

"I swear to the fucking _sky_, if you don't stop being irrational about this, I will kick your anorexic _ass_, you fucking preppy goth _bitch_!" she shouted, clearly enraged. "Let me go! Let me go! I _need_ to kill her! I will sacrifice this virgin to the gods that hate me so damn much!"

"Musiko, calm down," Ryuuzaki said in a soothing tone, tugging her backward.

The woman grunted, crossing her arms and glaring at the blonde, but reluctantly agreeing, "_Fine_. I'll just make a _voodoo doll_ later."

Misa squeaked in fear, hands to her heart as the raven-haired detective slowly released Musiko's collar.

Said woman wandered off to the corner, tapping her fingers together whilst grinning evilly.

Ryuuzaki looked away from the plotting songstress, gaze falling upon Misa Amane as he walked over, leaning forward with his foot to the arm of the couch where she sat.

"Tell me," he began in a low, conspiratorial voice, "do you love Light from the _bottom_ of your heart?"

"Huh?" she muttered, leaning away from the detective. "Uh, yeah... Of _course_ I do!"

"But you also worship _Kira_, don't you?" the young man asked.

"Well, yeah..."

He leaned closer, crouching on the seat of the couch as Misa scooted further away, Light trying to pull the detective away from her by his collar and failing miserably.

"So then, if you had to choose between Light and Kira," Ryuuzaki proposed, "who would you _pick_?"

"_What_?!" she asked, jumping up and running to her love. "_That's_ obvious! Of _course_ it's gonna be Light! I'm really grateful to Kira and want to meet him someday in person, but _that's_ not true love!"

The woman latched onto Light's arm, looking up at him adoringly, "I'd _definitely_ choose Light."

"But your precious Light is planning to _catch_ Kira," the detective informed the blonde, then questioned the brunette. "Isn't that right?"

"Well, _yes_, of _course_ I am," the younger man admitted.

Ryuuzaki moved to the end of the couch, staring up at Misa who clung to Light.

"He says he wants to _catch_ Kira. Now what _will_ you do?" he pressed, sounding, if only to Musiko, a little amused with questioning the model.

"_Well_, if _that's_ what Light says, then _I'm_ gonna support him no matter _what_," Misa answered confidently.

"I _see_," the raven-haired man replied, quite interest. "So if you were given the opportunity to _work_ with Light on this investigation... would you _take_ the _offer_?"

"_What_?" asked Light in pure disbelief. "_Ryuuzaki_."

"Yeah!" Misa agreed without hesitation. "Of _course_ I _would_! I'd do _anything_ I could to help _Light_!"

Light looked down to the blonde, "Wait. Hold _on_ a second."

He then turned his gaze to Ryuuzaki, "Where are you _going_ with this?"

"I'm planning to have Aiber pose as Eraldo Coil again," the detective explained. "He'll tell the Yotsuba members that while he was investigating _L_, he discovered that _Misa Amane_ might know who he _is_. He'll _also_ tell them that L brought her in for questioning on suspicion that she was the second _Kira_."

"That part _is_ true," Misa commented.

Musiko's brow furrowed as she wondered why Ryuuzaki was using _Misa_ for something like this when she herself could handle the job.

"If the Yotsuba group believe that Misa could be their lead to finding _L_," concluded the detective as he now stood before the large window, looking out onto the city glow against the night sky, "then they'll say that they want to meet her to discuss their _advertising_ campaign."

"They'll _use_ that opportunity to _question_ her," he deduced of the Yotsuba board members.

"Thanks to Matsuda's _screw up_, they may _already_ be considering Misa as their new spokesperson, so this could _work_," he finished.

"Yeah," Misa agreed. "Right."

"We can't _do_ that," Light insisted.

Misa looked up to the brunette, pouting as she inquired, "Why _not_?"

"This plan is too _risky_," returned the young man. "Who _knows_ what could _happen_ to you."

The blonde gasped in delight, hands together as she spoke with love and awe, "Oh, _wow_! Does that mean you're _worried_ about me?"

"Yaaaay!" she cried merrily, hugging the young man and rubbing her cheek to him.

It looked like what cats do to claim ownership of an item to Musiko, said woman feeling an imaginary icy breeze of loneliness that only played out in her mind. If only someone could love her like _that_. Not that she was _gay_ or anything.

The singer's shoulders slumped as she hung her head and sighed deeply.

Light noticed her actions, hands pulling as far away from Misa as possible as he tried to jerk free of the emotional blonde's grasp.

Ryuuzaki watched Musiko, wondering if her actions signaled that she truly _loved_ Light Yagami, or if she had found some other random, somehow strangely related thought that depressed her. With Musiko, he reasoned sagely, one could never be sure.

But even so, if the first conclusion were true, he felt that if she loved Light, aside from hoping he wasn't truly _Kira_, he hoped the young man _did_ return her affections. Still, he couldn't _lie_ to himself and say he hoped for that more than he hoped she _despised_ Light Yagami, Kira or not.

Musiko came out of her depression as Misa finally pulled away from Light.

The model's eyes sparkled as she promised, "But _don't_ worry; I won't mind doing something like this if it's for _you_, Light."

Light placed his hands to her shoulders, "Listen, Misa. If they suspect that you might know who L really _is_, we don't know how _far_ they'll be willing to go to _get_ that information."

"No problemo," Misa said firmly, fists raised and tiny arm muscles flexing. "I _promise_ I won't say anything... even if they torture me!"

"_I_ can attest to that," Ryuuzaki commented, walking to the wall near Musiko.

The detective's dark eyes pretended to study a picture on the wall, but he watched her from the corner of his eye, still trying to deduce the reason to her earlier actions.

"But Kira can _control_ his victims' actions before their death," Light reminded the detective. "There's a _good_ chance he might try to manipulate her into revealing what she knows and then _kill_ her."

Misa's mouth was agape, hands to her cheeks with worry.

"_Also_," the brunette went on to say, "if he _does_ manage to kill L, he won't have _any_ use for Misa. He'd _kill_ her to keep her silent."

Finding no clues from Musiko's countenance, Ryuuzaki turned and walked toward the other pair.

"I don't like the sound of that," Misa complained worriedly.

"Light," the detective said, forefinger raised before shaking admonishingly. "You forget that if _we_ win against Kira, Misa won't _die_."

"Musiko," he began, "_please_ back me up."

The singer glared at him viciously, arms crossing.

He turned at her silence and saw her countenance, knowing whatever she was about to say would be just as mean as her expression.

"Sorry to burst your sugar cube in _Ryuuzaki Land_," she said with all the attitude she could muster, making a bursting motion with her hands before they crossed over her chest once more, "but I'm not your personal _yes man_. Don't assume so _arrogantly_ that I'm on _your_ side."

Her arms fell, her anger passing.

"Ryuuzaki, I have to _object_ to this," Musiko finally announced. "I don't want Misa put in any further danger than she already _is_."

"I thought the two of you were no longer _friends_," replied the dark-eyed detective, tone mostly curious.

The singer shrugged a little, confessing, "She's... like a little _sister_ to me... even if she _is_ being irrational and rude to me. I don't want her to get hurt..."

"Unless, of course, it's _me_ doing the hurting," the raven-haired woman added with a dark sneer, fist pounding into her hand eagerly before the look passed and her arms fell.

"_Musiko_..." the blonde model muttered softly, touched by the songstress' words.

Bounding over to her, Misa tackled the singer, hugging her tightly.

"_Oooh_, Musiko! I don't _want_ to fight!" the little woman confessed.

Musiko's middle was squeezed much too tightly for her liking, her tongue hanging out and eyes forming little 'x''s.

"Can't... breathe," she managed to mutter, trying to pry the young woman away to no avail.

"Misa, you're _killing_ her," Light said with a sigh.

Amane quickly let go of the older woman who took in a deep breath, panting once before patting Misa on the head in a manner that expressed how endearing the singer found the model.

"I don't want to fight _either_," Musiko finally agreed.

Misa gave a firm nod, looking determined as she stared up at Musiko and offered her hand to shake, "So from now _on_, the best woman wins."

"Ah, _what_?" asked the raven-haired woman, then shook her head a bit. "Uh... Oh. Right. Yes."

Shaking Misa's hand, Musiko felt herself die a little inside at shaking on such a stupid statement.

'_As if it takes the __**best woman**__ to win some murderous piece of __**eye candy**__,_' she thought derisively, slipping her hand from Misa's.

"Uh... Am I supposed to say '_good luck_', or does that defeat the purpose?" the singer questioned, finger scratching the side of her nose unsurely.

Both Misa and Light slumped forward, the former surprised Musiko had said something so dumb and the latter feeling completely unloved.

Musiko looked from one to the other, shrugging with her palms up as she accused, "The lack of oxygen made me disoriented."

"_Anyway_," she went on, hands moving to her hips, "_I'm_ just as good for this role, considering they _already_ contacted my first manager and signed me on for music and to be their spokesperson... And they said Misa is a likely _shoe-in_ for the latter."

"No," Ryuuzaki and Light said firmly.

"Yes," retorted Musiko, just as firmly. "Whether you approve or _not_, I'm going to do this... I haven't felt very useful lately anyway. I mean, most of my skills aren't even _needed_ for this case."

"Skills?" echoed Light, interested.

She gave a nod, confirming and explaining, "Yeah. I guess you weren't properly filled in, but I have hacking capabilities, I'm good at solving puzzles and cracking codes, I can theorize multiple possibilities to a situation, conversation, or basically _anything_ that has an outcome, I'm your go-to girl for all things Occult and paranormal, and I'm a skilled fighter - taught by _Ryuuzaki_, no less."

The raven-haired woman shook her head, pointing at Light, "Don't _distract_ me!"

Hand falling, she continued, "As I was _saying_, I'm doing this whether anyone likes it or not. It's a decent plan that's worth taking the risk for."

Light sighed at the stubborn, determined woman, looking to Ryuuzaki.

"Are you going to let her _do_ this?" he inquired with reserve.

The detective looked away from Musiko, onyx eyes turning to Light, "I suppose we will have to allow her to do as she wishes, seeing as I've never been able to _deter_ her from a mission before. I _doubt_ anything I say or do short of a direct order could stop her now."

"Damn straight," the songstress agreed, hands to her hips.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than I like leopard print (I seriously have an obsession with leopard print). Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Surprise! There's a twist in here that's gonna make you go "omg!" and "oh shi-" but I promise not to spoil it.

Also, I _am_ aware that Obata depicted the Shinigami King before, but I didn't like the design. It was too much of a rip-off to me.

For a good description, I went to wikipedia: _Chapter 109 depicts the King as a large mass suspended in the air with chains. He has a skull for a head, which is surrounded by a larger, skull-like formation. He has four arms, each with only three fingers on the hands, which hang from his body._

That's just _boring_ and _cliche_ to me.

Chains are nice, but I don't like the way they were done. The skull thing is overdone with characters that deal with death. Three fingers bothers me for some reason. The four arms part was the only thing I liked.

Hopefully Obata/Ooba doesn't sue me for this fic because of my humble opinions.

I'm only saying all this now because I forgot to talk about it earlier. Sorry.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Ten - Ten of Diamonds (Fraud)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- If you lose the Death Note or have it stolen, you will lose its ownership unless you retrieve it within 490 days._

* * *

Nyoko Kurogawa, also known as Musiko Hanabi, sat in a chair before the Yotsuba board members, legs crossed and hands overlapping over her knee.

Aiber had played the part of Eraldo Coil once more, prompting the current situation. The board members were told that Musiko _worshiped_ Kira, along with the accusation that she was the _second Kira_ herself.

"Now then," began Aiber, playing Eraldo Coil, who sat between the four other men present, "I don't believe we've _met_ before, have we, Miss Hanabi?"

"No," she replied in a polite tone, adding her own flair to her acting. "I believe I would _remember_ such a handsome face as yours."

He laughed lightly, "Thank you, Miss Hanabi."

"_Please_, call me Musiko," the woman insisted with a friendly smile.

"My name is John Wallace," he introduced himself. "I'm the executive adviser for the advertising department. Nice to meet you, Musiko."

She gave a nod in return, "Likewise, Mister Wallace."

"Please, call me John," the man allowed.

"This... may seem a little sudden," he then began, "but I'd like to be _honest_ with you."

The lines went through Musiko's head, just as they'd practiced at headquarters.

* * *

_"Musiko, stop __**ogling**__ Aiber," Ryuuzaki directed, speaking into a small director's cone._

_He then bopped her over the head with it for the tenth time, Musiko climbing over the back of the couch and beating him with the cone as he ran away like a little girl._

_Aiber simply laughed, even as the detective begged to be saved._

_Eventually, even with Ryuuzaki's annoying interruptions, Aiber and Musiko had their parts down to a tee, both confident about their upcoming performances._

* * *

"We've been _talking_ about it, and we've pretty much decided to extend your contract," 'John Wallace' told her. "_But_, before we _officially_ extend the contract, we need to clarify a few things."

"Alright," she replied right on cue, looking curious. "What would you like to know?"

"We've been doing a little _background_ check on you, and according to our sources," the man began to explain, "your mother and father were murdered by a _burglar_ during a bank robbery. You _worship_ Kira because he _killed_ the suspect."

He went on to ask, "Isn't it _true_ that you came to stay in Tokyo in hopes of _finding_ and _meeting_ Kira?"

She feigned a looked of surprise, eyes slightly wide and mouth agape.

"Wh-Who did you hear _that_ from?" the raven-haired woman asked softly.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," he replied.

"O-Oh... Of course," she muttered, looking down to her hands timidly.

He went on with his lines, "The information is reliable, and _now_, I'd say it's confirmed. The look on your face tells me that these _are_ the facts."

"_Also_," 'John Wallace' added, "you're still hiding something from us, _aren't_ you? Something you'd _prefer_ the world not to _know_."

'_Pause. Look nervous,_' Musiko coached herself, looking down and biting her bottom lip as her hands gripped at her knee.

"It _seems_ you were detained by the detective _L_ for a short period of time," the man carried on, looking through the papers before him. "We'd like you to tell us the _full_ story of what _really_ happened."

"It would be a problem if one of the new faces of Yotsuba turned out to be _Kira_," he added.

"Yes," agreed one of the other men. "We would appreciate it if you were _honest_ with us."

Musiko paused, hands gripping tighter before her gaze lifted to the men, her countenance timid.

"A-Alright. I understand," she said softly, voice slowly gaining back its strength, though she sounded resigned to the situation before her. "I'll tell you everything."

Musiko confirmed, "I _was_ held for questioning. I wasn't sure if it was L, but he _did_ ask me a lot of questions about Kira."

She looked to the side, insisting softly, "But I'm _not_ the second Kira, and I never _was_."

Her eyes returned to the men, "I was released because he realized I didn't have anything to do with _Kira_ or the _second_ Kira _after all_."

"Did you manage to see who it was that was restraining you?" one of the men before her inquired, Musiko looking at him directly as she replied.

"No," she said, almost with a regretful tone. "I was _blindfolded_ the whole time."

Another man reasoned, "But if he asked you _questions_, surely you heard his _voice_, right?"

The singer replied, "Only through a speaker and a voice filter, so--"

"Come _on_," another of the men said. "What the hell is this _anyway_, an _interview_ or a _police_ interrogation?"

He stood, leaving his seat as he asked, "How long are we gonna keep this up? I'm going to the bathroom."

"He has a point; it seems the interview veered a little off-track," one of the men agreed. "We're very sorry."

"It's alright," Musiko replied softly. "But, would you mind if I went to the bathroom as _well_?"

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the main room at headquarters, Light was pondering over how the first Kira's ideals were disturbingly close to his own while Matsuda continually worried about the raven-haired singer.

"Oh, _man_, I wonder if Musiko's _alright_," Matsuda worried as he stood about, watching the exit. "Maybe we should have wired her, or used something to track her movements."

"Unlike _Misa Amane_, Musiko is entirely capable of giving a good performance and taking care of herself," Ryuuzaki assured the other man from where he sat at the end of the desk.

Honestly, the raven-haired detective was simply trying to reassure _himself_ with those thoughts.

* * *

Musiko sat on a closed toilet lid, "Kuro, _you're_ objective; how was my acting back there?"

"I thought you were very _convincing_, Mistress," he complimented.

"Thanks," she replied, psyching herself up for going back to the interview.

She left the stall and went to the sink, washing her hands habitually when she unexpectedly saw a Shinigami other than her own in the mirror.

The Shinigami, Rem, held a piece of the Death Note to the woman's hand.

"Musiko Hanabi?" asked the Shinigami, looking away from Kuro to the songstress.

"Y-Yes?" Musiko asked in return, wondering if this was the Shinigami following the third Kira.

"You _know_ Misa Amane," Rem said, more as a statement. "Is she _still_ in _love_ with _Light Yagami_?"

Musiko nodded, "She is, I'm afraid."

"You must have been her Shinigami," the young woman presumed, turning around to face the Shinigami. "If you're worried about Misa, you should know that I'm her ally."

"We're like _sisters_, after all," commented the raven-haired songstress with a smile, eyes curved happily.

She then looked up at the Shinigami, "I can help her as much as possible, and it would _help_ to know who has the Death Note now. And, if you _want_, I can touch her with a piece of my Death Note if I can find the proper moment to _explain_ everything to her."

"_Yes_; that would do for _now_," Rem replied. "_Tell_ her about _Light Yagami_ and his plans. If she _truly_ loves him, she must _do_ as he _says_."

"I'll tell her," Musiko assured the Shinigami, yet having no true intention to do so. "For _now_, though, if you can show me which one is Kira, I can probably find a way to speed things up so that you'll get back to Misa faster."

"When you _return_ to the _room_," explained Rem, "the man sitting in _front_ of me will be _Kira_."

* * *

Musiko opened the door to the interview room.

"I apologize for taking so long," she said, bowing slightly.

Walking in, she returned to her seat, noticing Rem behind Higuchi, the man who had excused himself earlier.

'_So __**you're**__ my target,_' Musiko thought, making sure not to focus her eyes on him too long. '_**Somehow**__, I have to get proof of this __**myself**__... __**without**__ anyone's help._'

* * *

"Musiko sure is _late_," commented Matsuda, now sitting at the desk before the screen in the main room at headquarters.

No sooner had he said the words did Musiko walk into the room.

Matsuda said excitedly as everyone looked to the exit, "She's _back_!"

Musiko flipped back her hair as she walked in, announcing, "And I _aced_ the job, scoring an extension on my contract in the process. _Plus_, I made sure Misa got hired in time for tomorrow's shoot. She should be informed pretty soon."

Her hand fell to her hip, the singer stopping before the others as her other hand flipped out her cell phone, "I gave them my number and three of the board members have _already_ left messages asking for dates."

Looking to her phone, she frowned slightly, "I'm thankful that the _bald_ one didn't call, but I'm bummed that _Namikawa_ wasn't there."

"Now _he_ was someone I could have some _fun_ with," she said blithely, grinning and shrugging.

Looking back up, she added, "I intend to take up the three offers."

"No," replied Light firmly. "If you go any _further_, you'll be in even _more_ danger."

Musiko sighed deeply, returning with her tone attempting to be civil, "_Light Yagami_, I _appreciate_ your concern, but kindly stop telling me what I can and cannot _do_. I am a _grown woman_ who can take care of herself."

"_Besides_," she then added, smiling with an expression that plainly told she knew something they didn't know, her hand that held up her phone snapping it shut, "I've _already_ got a plan that will ensure that we have solid proof of our Kira."

The woman slipped her phone into her pocket, turning and heading for the stairs.

Up two steps, she called down as everyone's eyes were still trained on her, "Just wait and see."

* * *

Early in the morning, Misa and Musiko had rushed off to their shoot with their managers in tow, the entire thing finished by nightfall.

While Misa and Mogi, the blonde's new manager, went back to headquarters, the raven-haired singer pulled her second manager, Yukisuzu, aside.

"I'm going on a date with Higuchi from _Yotsuba_ tonight," she informed the white-haired young man. "I want you to cover for me. If anyone _asks_, tell them I went _shopping_ or something."

"What are you intending to _do_, Musiko?" the man asked warily.

Musiko smiled, zipping her lips and giving the victory sign before turning and leaving him behind.

* * *

Alone, Yukisuzu made his way back to headquarters, certain that he'd never be able to stop Musiko when she had a mission to complete.

He muttered softly, "I suppose she would be less alluring if she weren't so untameable, but I still can't feel at _ease_ with this situation. If worse comes to worst, I'll have to use my trump card."

"Are you cccertain you don't want to sssimply _kill_ your rival, L?" asked a hissing voice from behind the white-haired man.

The voice came from none other than a female Shinigami.

Her tongue was serpentine, long, and forked at the end, and slithered between a set of jagged, sharp teeth. The Shinigami's head was shaped like that of a frilled lizard with a thick neck, the frill beginning an inch behind her large, bulging, and completely black eyes, and ending at the outer sides of her neck in the front.

Two rows of curved, silver blades with the tips pointed backward went up from the Shinigami's mid-back and gradually became closer until only one blade, taller than the rest, protruded in between her eyes.

The skin on her head was made up of black and dark green scales, and ended at the base of her thick neck, feathers in matching colors below and covering her torso that had a humanoid form.

The legs below reverted to dark green and black scales, though her feet looked like those of a pigeon. Three long toes were in front, with one long toe in the back on each foot, all having long, black claws.

Her arms were covered in feathers of the same shades, longer feathers attached from the outer wrists and up to her shoulder blades, forming wings, while her hands were humanoid with five fingers each and lizard scales. Those long, bony fingers ended with long, sharp and black claws.

She was truly strange-looking, even for a Shinigami.

She carried with her a large scythe with three blood red blades, and around her waist was a simple black leather belt with a large, soft and brown pouch to the side. It safely carried her own Death Note, secured by a buttoned flap.

The Shinigami had no other clothing, but wore silver cuffs around her wrists that had a bit of silver chain hanging from each, as if she'd escaped from a torture cell.

Her full name was Għall-chroí U Fil-dorcha, which used two human languages very roughly to mean 'on the heart and in the dark'.

Yukisuzu replied quietly, "You don't understand human love and compassion, Għall; to _kill_ L Lawliet would defeat my intentions and purpose for keeping the notebook you gave to me."

"I want Nyoko to be happy, _regardless_ of whom she chooses to love, _even_ if she chooses someone who has yet to treat her as she should be treated," he explained at length to his Shinigami. "It's _her_ decision only because she _is_, in fact, a grown woman, and if she wants to love Lawliet, I will protect them _both_."

"If she loves Light," the young man added hesitantly, "I will protect her, and I will _unfortunately_ have to protect him as well, _regardless_ of my personal morals."

"Ssso be it," Għall replied shortly.

Għall had come to earth not long ago with an extra notebook, dropping it before Near.

She had watched him interact with Nyoko Kurogawa, who also had a Death Note from none other than the _son_ of the Shinigami King, and she decided that she would learn more about the human realm by studying Nate River's love for the woman and his use of the notebook she gave to him.

Near could only keep his notebook by writing names, so he had used it against prisoners who were otherwise scheduled for execution, the murders being blamed on Kira.

Normally, he wouldn't resort to killing others for the sake of keeping a Death Note, but with the increasing danger surrounding the woman he loved, he believed that desperate times called for desperate measures.


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than L likes cake. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Like the last chapter's surprise?

Anyway, as always, R&R!

**PS:** I don't know how to spell Ginzo's last name and I'm too lazy to go back and check Rem's Death Note. Just play along, like always.

* * *

**Chapter warnings:** Here comes a big Hurt/Comfort part! There's mature content in here in the form of someone's perspective. _Not_ a lemon/lime, really.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Eleven - Queen of Spades (Vulnerability)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- If you have traded the eye power of a god of death, you will lose the eye power as well as the memory of the Death Note, once you lose its ownership._

_At the same time, the remaining half of your life will not be restored._

* * *

Nyoko stood in front of the hospital nearby which she had specified for her date to pick her up at, the woman flipping out her cell phone and texting him.

Not long after, a red car pulled up before her, Nyoko walking over to the passenger side and leaning down toward the open window.

"Nice car," she commented with a seductive smile. "How's the mileage?"

"It's very high," Higuchi replied. "Let's take a test drive, and if you like it, I'll _buy_ you one sometime."

"Get me a Vespa one fifty, nineteen sixty-two model, that's dark metallic blue and I'll love you forever," she returned half jokingly with a wink.

He grinned in return, "A _Vespa_ girl, huh? I like that."

Musiko opened the car door and scooted into the seat, shutting the door and buckling her seat belt before looking to the man beside her.

"How about you show me what this baby can do?" the singer asked with a grin.

* * *

After Higuchi had shown her just how fast his ride could go, they drove down the highway, breezing by other cars. They had talked for a little while, but the singer slowly brought up her ownership of a Death Note.

"You're an _intelligent_ man, Kyosuke," she began, looking out the front window. "I'm pretty sure you've figured out by now that I'm the second Kira, _haven't_ you?"

She looked to the man, his eyes on her a few moments before he looked ahead once more.

Musiko was pretty sure he was thinking she should likely have no memories of the Death Note if she _were_ the second Kira and L _had_ caught up to her.

He finally laughed lightly, replying, "Musiko, you don't have to make up stuff like that to feel safe with _me_. I'm sure you'll find that I'm _quite_ the gentleman."

"I thought you might say that, but the truth is that I'm a _very_ good actor, as you witnessed at my interview," the raven-haired songstress went on to say. "_In fact_, my acting is so superb that I completely fooled the greatest detective in the world, L."

She shrugged lightly, looking forward, "But I'll only _prove_ my power to the _first_ Kira."

"You'll only show proof to _Kira_," he thought aloud. "_Why_?"

"Well, it's always been my _dream_ to marry Kira, and to work beside him," explained the singer with a small smile. "Once I tell him, I just _know_ he'll accept me as his partner... _and_ lover."

Musiko heard Kuro growl from the back seat, her thoughts questioning what upset him, but she pushed that train of thought aside for later. Right now, she had to focus on her acting and convincing Higuchi that she truly was the second Kira.

'_If she really __**is**__ the second Kira,_' Higuchi thought over her words silently, '_it's pretty clear from the Sakura TV incident that she has the Shinigami Eyes._'

'_If __**that's**__ the case,_' he began to reason,'_I need to make sure I keep this woman on my side at all costs._ '

'_I've gotta __**test**__ her first,_' Higuchi concluded to himself.

Higuchi laughed loudly, which almost scared the shit out of Musiko who fought to remain composed after the sudden, creepy outburst.

"Well, since _I_ happen to _be_ Kira, does that mean you'll _marry_ me?" he inquired of her earlier comments, gazing over to her.

Musiko put on a shocked expression as she looked back at him, her eyes feigning child-like fascination and innocence.

"_R-Really_?" she asked in awe.

"Yeah," he replied softly. "I _mean_ it."

She looked elated, "Then you've got to _prove_ it to me! We can prove our power to each other."

"I can't do _that_," interjected Higuchi, turning down her idea. "It'd be a pretty bad idea to let someone witness how I _kill_ people."

"_Well_," Musiko muttered, looking away sadly, "I _guess_ that's true..."

Her head then lifted, the singer looking as if she'd struck an idea, her dark blue eyes returning to his.

"Why don't I show you _first_?" she asked. "If I prove my power to _you_, you'll be able to prove your power to _me_. Isn't that right?"

"If you insist," he replied carefully, watching her closely.

She nodded, "But I only kill criminals and _other_ bad people, alright?"

Higuchi pulled over, taking out his laptop and using it to show her a certain man.

"This is Ginzo Kaniboshi, president of a major _finance_ company," he explained to the raven-haired woman, showing her the man's picture on his computer. "He's infamous for his immoral collection methods. Sometimes he even makes people pay with their _insurance_ money."

"How about _him_?" asked Higuchi.

"Will you be able to confirm his death _right away_?" she asked in return.

He replied, "Yeah. As soon as I call him."

"Alright then," she agreed to the test. "Just turn around for a _second_, please."

Higuchi did as told, Musiko placing a piece of regular paper against her window and writing Ginzo's name, then tugging at her earlobe twice so that Kuro could see it.

Kuro, who had read the name from the computer easily, wrote down Ginzo's name in his own Death Note. He knew he had no other choice in the matter as she couldn't very well carry around her Death Note, and carrying a piece of the notebook's paper was too risky for the songstress as she was normally around the task force.

Musiko then waited the appropriate amount of time and looked to her watch she'd wore specifically for her little task that night.

"Alright," she said. "He should be _dead_ by now."

Higuchi used his cell phone, "Hello. This is Higuchi from Yotsuba."

"Sorry! Our president just collapsed and stopped breathing!" the man on the other end of Higuchi's line said in a panic. "Call back later!"

Kyosuke slowly looked to Musiko as the line went dead.

She smiled, eyes curved happily, "I _am_ the second Kira, just like I told you."

Meanwhile, the singer's hand discreetly dug in her back pocket for her phone, which she began to use to record her proof, her hand slowly leaving her pocket.

'_This __**proves**__ it!_' he thought abruptly.

Suddenly, he jumped over to her seat, knocking it back and effectively pinning her down, grinning face inches from hers.

Musiko stared up at him, wide-eyed, though a grin formed. He completely bought it, and she could tell simply from his expression.

"_So_, if I'm _Kira_, you'll _marry_ me, _right_?" he questioned again, making absolutely sure.

"Only if you can _prove_ it," the woman cooed back.

"I'm _not_ gonna be able to kill until I get home," replied Higuchi. "You _understand_?"

She laughed lightly, pushing him away gently as she sat up, "I'm afraid that's not _good_ enough. _But_..."

The woman pretended to think over the situation briefly before carrying on her thoughts.

"Why don't you simply stop killing _criminals_ for a while?" she asked of this new Kira. "Then you could start killing again when I tell you to. If the times and deaths match up... _Well_... ...Only _Kira_ could do that, so it would prove to me that you _are_ Kira... the man I'm going to _marry_."

"I see what you mean," Higuchi replied, holding his chin thoughtfully. "That's a _good_ idea."

* * *

"_Alright_, Musiko," came Higuchi's voice from Musiko's cell phone, said woman holding up the phone for the rest of the task force and standing with her other hand to her hip. "_I'm_ Kira, so, in order to make you _trust_ me, and _prove_ that I'm him, I'll stop killing criminals for the time being. Then once you're fully convinced I'm the real thing, you and I can get _married_."

"Well, I'm hoping you really _are_ my Kira - my _savior_," Musiko's voice replied smoothly. "After all, I wouldn't mind being _your_ wife at _all_."

With that, she shut off her phone, snapping it shut.

"Obviously, if the murders _stop_, Higuchi is our Kira," Musiko concluded, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"Now we not only know Kira's identity, but all those deaths that were worrying the Chief are gonna stop!" Matsuda said excitedly from where he stood. "That's _amazing_, Musiko!"

She gave a victory sign as she grinned, eyes curved merrily.

Becoming serious, she watched Ryuuzaki who hadn't even turned around in his seat, commenting, "I _know_ that this now puts me under suspicion of being a Kira or the _second_ Kira, but it was the quickest way to help you, Ryuuzaki."

"What do you mean?" asked Matsuda, puzzled by her statement.

She looked over to him, explaining patiently, "The only way I could have gotten Higuchi to _agree_ to this is if I were able to prove that I were the second _Kira_ to him. Hence, I'm now suspected of having the power that _Kira_ has."

The singer's eyes traveled back to Ryuuzaki as she added, "With _Ryuuzaki_, it's never as simple as someone using seduction and acting, or the other party being _surprisingly_ stupid and gullible."

"But if I have to sacrifice myself for this conclusion, I would do it all _over_ again if I _had_ to," she said resolutely.

* * *

Ryuuzaki simply looked down at his empty cup of coffee for a few moments after Musiko's words. He'd never felt as completely terrified and furious as he felt after hearing everything she had recorded. Musiko had not only put herself into a dangerous position that could end her life, but she was obviously willing to sacrifice her body _again_ if it had come to that.

Normally, these kind of tactics didn't bother the raven-haired man, but Musiko was an exception. He realized that not only had she put herself in danger, but she did it all in the name of _helping_ him, though he'd rather have had Misa or someone _else_ do something so risky.

The fear that struck him from knowing she could do something like this again made him sick and more enraged, the detective gripping the empty cup tightly.

He had sense enough not to crush the cup in his hand, but he felt he needed to release his fury, so he threw the cup across the room, the helpless item shattering against a wall.

His now empty hand flexed as all eyes were on him in surprise, Musiko's the only pair that burned into his back.

"_Musiko_... Go to your floor," he ordered in a shaking tone that the singer could tell was holding back his anger.

She took a step back, but hesitated.

"_GO_!" he shouted, his chair shaking as she turned and ran up the stairs.

Musiko took the elevator, expression confused.

Why was he so angry that he couldn't maintain his calm demeanor? She had done him a favor, after all, and it hadn't been a walk in the park or a piece of cake. Musiko had risked so much to help him, but instead of recognition, or even simple _gratitude_, he shouted at her and ordered her to go to her floor as if she were a teenage delinquent who had been _grounded_.

She went to her floor, storming off to her bedroom, and attacking a pillow on her bed before crying herself into a restless sleep.

Kuro attempted to calm her by stroking her hair, but it did little to comfort her mind, the Shinigami growling. He thought that maybe it was time for L to die, but relinquished the idea at the thought that if he killed L, Musiko would despise him.

* * *

Back in the main room of headquarters, Yukisuzu, who had watched the entire exchange, finally broke the long, awkward silence from where he sat at a couch.

"Ryuuzaki, I believe you've just _proven_ to me that you are completely _incapable_ of treating her as an adult," the white-haired man derived from the situation, angered by the other detective's display. "You're still treating her like a helpless little girl, _just_ as you treated her at the orphanage. She's no longer your possession, and she no longer has to _obey_ you."

"I can't allow someone accused of being _Kira_," he began, briefly looking to Light Yagami before his onyx gaze returned to the other detective, "and someone so completely emotionally _immature_ to win her affection, so I am officially counting myself into your ridiculous _game_."

"And I intend... to _win_," he announced in conclusion, getting up from his seat and heading to the stairs.

"I am _not_ Kira!" Light announced for the umpteenth time, standing from his seat. "I _agree_ that Ryuuzaki is too emotionally unstable to hold a relationship, but I--"

The raven-haired detective muttered, "Don't make me _kick_ you."

"_Please_," said Soichiro impatiently as he adjusted his glasses, attempting in vain to hide his awkward feeling. "Don't forget that we're here to capture _Kira_. Personal issues should be dealt with another time."

Light simply sat back down at the desk, sitting as far away from the raven-haired detective as possible. He didn't approve of Musiko's tactics either, but scaring her as the raven-haired detective had wasn't the way to deal with the situation.

The brunette pondered over how to handle things while Ryuuzaki pushed away the piece of cake he'd been eating before Musiko had returned.

Everyone noticed the action, all realizing that when Ryuuzaki felt too bad to eat _cake_, it meant that either he was too upset to enjoy it or it was a sign of the apocalypse.

* * *

Yukisuzu knocked loudly at Musiko's bedroom door until he heard her mumble and get out of bed.

The singer opened her door after brushing away her tear stains, finding Near, which she hadn't actually expected.

After, she didn't know exactly what came over her, but she took his wrist and pulled him into her bedroom, suddenly locking lips with a surprised, white-haired detective.

His mind raced wildly, his lips kissing back even though he was sure she had to be completely out of sorts. He wondered if he should stop her, but he couldn't find the will to go through with that thought. It was hard to _think_ with her hands running over his chest and tugging at his shirt with the obvious desire to remove it.

All he knew for sure was that she was either completely out of her mind, or she desperately needed to feel loved, which she couldn't find from Lawliet, and he knew Musiko was _definitely_ not crazy.

He gave in to her desire, his shirt soon discarded along with her own as they moved toward her unmade bed in a frenzy of passion.

Eventually, the clothing that restrained them was left in a pile on the floor, both parties in her bed.

Near knew on some level that this might be wrong, but it felt so right that his conscience took a leave of absence.

* * *

From that point forward, Near was a nightly visitor to her bedroom.

Their bodies tangled together, he found sanctuary between her thighs, pounding incessantly to her every gasp and moan until she was saying his name.

Only _then_ did he know she was thinking of him instead of L, recognizing something beyond the gravitational pull that dragged her to the raven-haired man at every turn.

For those moments, he would believe she wasn't hopelessly in love with someone else; he'd believe that her desire wasn't completely misplaced. And _maybe_, if he believed _hard_ enough, fantasy would turn into reality in those precious, fleeting moments.

But, when all was said and done, he knew the cold, hard fact of the matter was that he was second best; he would always _be_ second best until L was dead and gone. While she was hopelessly in love with L, Near was hopelessly in love with her.

But he had waited all these years patiently, and he knew he would continue to wait until L broke her heart for the final time by his inevitable death. That would be his moment to fix her puzzle completely and keep her for himself.

He would wait; but if she needed him in this way now, he would make sure her feminine desires were satiated. He couldn't let her keep crawling back to L for something - meaning _love_ - he couldn't give her that she desperately wanted, and it was the only way he could claim her as _his_ for any period of time.

Her body held so much to explore and he soaked up every inch of her, playing by ear to her sighs, moans and gasps. Making love to her became an art he continually perfected, finding what turned her on and off, and what made her scream.

He enjoyed finding her every weak spot and teasing it into a fevered pitch, like fine-tuning a piano, but every sound she would illicit was more thrilling and beautiful to him than any baby grand could possibly pronounce.

She was his drug and he was addicted, he would admit, but he was never playing the fool; he never believed those days would last forever or that she would finally see what she truly needed. Every time together made it more and more clear that she was only sexually switched on by her feelings for L. Near was simply the _beneficiary_, and he was the one to eventually switch her off.

If it was love to give and continually be spurned as he saw between Nyoko and L, then he would give more to her than she gave to L; he would make up the difference somehow. He decided that was what love truly _was_; to give one's all, _regardless_ of what was gained in return.


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Near likes toys. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Please send me some reviews. I'd like to know how I'm doing with these changes. Thanks to all those who _do_ review!

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Twelve - Four of Hearts (Inspiration)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- You may lend the Death Note to another person while maintaining its ownership._

_Subletting it to yet another person is possible, too._

* * *

Now a week later, Yukisuzu and Musiko were keeping their nightly encounters and their ramifications a secret from the rest of the task force. However, the two seemed closer, which was apparent to _everyone_. Even _Matsuda_ noticed them smile at each other randomly, sit close together and even touch each other more often.

As for Ryuuzaki, he had barely said anything to Musiko since the night he'd lost his temper, but he noticed her actions around the white-haired detective. He was suspicious, but said nothing, remaining calm and collected as always.

Light was the only one who looked uncomfortable when the pair were together, even though he kept his thoughts to himself. He knew things may have changed again since the night Ryuuzaki had ordered her not to date anyone by marking her neck so primitively, but he didn't understand why she was being so close to Yukisuzu instead of himself.

Both young men simply tried to focus on the Kira case _instead_ of the raven-haired songstress, just like they knew they should have been doing in the _first_ place.

* * *

"But we still don't know how Kira _kills_ his victims," Musiko heard Light say as she walked down the stairs to the main room.

Musiko sighed, making her move, "We _do_ know."

Everyone's eyes on her, she walked up to them.

"Well, _I_ know; the rest of you will have to decide whether you believe me or not," she corrected herself before explaining. "I got back from _Higuchi's_ place some time ago. He showed me the item that gives him his power."

Yukisuzu's eyes narrowed in thought from where he sat on a couch; he wondered why she was revealing this _now_, but he trusted her judgment.

"It's a notebook - aptly called a _Death Note_ - with the power to kill anyone whose name is written on its pages, so long as the writer has in mind what the person's face looks like," the young woman expounded on the matter. "We didn't talk about it much... I didn't want him to get too suspicious. And _stealing_ the notebook was too much of a risk factor, considering he wouldn't leave me alone in a room for five seconds."

"_So_, if you want to find out for _sure_, you've got make some kind of plan to obtain the notebook," added Musiko. "The hard part is that you can't own the book unless Higuchi is _dead_. Which, of course, would be entirely too easy a job for _me_, _if_ we're allowed to play dirty."

"You'd _kill_ him?" asked Matsuda, shocked by the songstress' suggestion.

Musiko shrugged, answering in her defense, "Ever heard the term, 'kill one, save a thousand'? Same thing. You just have to know who to kill and how _not_ to get caught."

"I've killed for Ryuuzaki before," she admitted openly. "I'm pretty good with a gun."

Soichiro shook his head in disgust, which she took notice of, smirking.

"A badge, or a gun," she said slowly, weighing each option on her hands, the one for gun imaginarily weighing heavier. "Criminals respect _guns_ a lot more than _badges_."

Her peace said, she went over to the couch, sitting by Yukisuzu who wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

* * *

Ryuuzaki clicked at his laptop, a lowercase 'w' appearing on the screen.

"Wedy?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"An update on the current situation, please."

"Everything's going smoothly," Wedy replied favorably. "We should be able to track seventy percent of their movements using our cameras inside the office building."

"What about outside the office?" the detective inquired.

"That's _not_ gonna be _possible_ with just Watari and me," the blonde woman told him.

Ryuuzaki questioned, "What if you focus solely on _Higuchi_?"

"_Higuchi_?" repeated the professional thief. "I've _only_ been able to enter the houses of five of the men so _far_. But Mido, Namikawa and Higuchi all have super high-tech security systems - _especially_ Higuchi."

"He recently constructed a dampening room that shuts out _any_ electronic waves," she explained. "It took me two days just to _break into_ the place."

"This guy sure does sound _suspicious_," Matsuda muttered.

"Maybe because he's _Kira_?" Musiko asked, making a disbelieving face at the older man.

Yukisuzu stifled a chuckled, grinning at her, Musiko playfully shoving him.

"Alright," said Ryuuzaki to the thief, ignoring the others, "then begin installing microphones, trackers and cameras, but _not_ in the house. _Instead_, just put them in every car."

"Hey! That leopard print Jeep he's got now is totally _mine_," Musiko clarified. "I'm picking it up later tonight."

* * *

"You're taking free cars from _Kira_?" Yukisuzu asked as he looked down at her, amused, the two now conversing quietly as everyone else payed attention to Wedy and Ryuuzaki.

Yukisuzu found her way of using someone who was using _her_ very entertaining, whereas Ryuuzaki and Light simply weren't pleased with her interacting with Kira. Yukisuzu, however, knew she was a grown woman who could protect herself, so he thought it nice she was at least getting something in return for risking her life continually.

Musiko grinned and shrugged, "Why _not_? I doubt he's going to have his freedom _too_ much longer... And my lawyer said I'd get to keep any items he paid for that were in my name upon his death."

"I mean, if you're playing for my _heart_, you've gotta be able to _afford_ me," she joked, with a feigned coy countenance. "I'm getting a dark metallic blue Vespa one fifty, circa year nineteen sixty-two, tomorrow. Higuchi's calling it my second _wedding_ present."

She chuckled, "He _totally_ thinks I'd marry someone with a haircut best suited to an exotic _bird_."

The two laughed lightly, Musiko pulling down her sleeve and revealing an engagement ring on her ring finger.

"The man at the store said it's an aquamarine Lauren K one point sixty ct heart-shape lolite. Eighteen-karat white gold antique-styled, to be more specific," the singer said, showing off the modest, but lovely ring. "It was only a little over two thousand five hundred in US currency, but I thought it was _beautiful_, and aquamarine happens to be his birthstone, so I chose it and said it would remind me of him."

Yukisuzu looked over the ring, holding her hand, "It's _authentic_."

"_Of course_," Musiko said defensively. "Like I can't tell a _knock-off_ from the _real deal_. What kind of _woman_ would that make me?"

"You know," began the white-haired detective with a small smile as he still held her hand, gaze locking with hers, "if you had accepted my proposal so many years ago, I'd have given you a much better ring."

"But it still wouldn't have been as beautiful as _you_, Musiko," he told her smoothly, kissing the back of her hand.

Musiko's eyes were wide as her cheeks flushed; she hadn't expected him to pull a line like that. Then again, with their encounters lately, it was obvious that they were secretly dating, but Yukisuzu had never been one for romantic lines, even if she found them a little cheesy.

'_Wait. That's __**it**__! __**Romantic lines**__!_' her mind shouted excitedly, Musiko striking an idea. ' _If I convince Higuchi that I did some checking into things and found out a strange pattern concerning Yotsuba's __**rivals**__, I can then pretend to be a worried lover. I'll take on the __**burden**__ of his Death Note under the idea that if anyone finds __**out**__, I'll go down __**alone**__._'

'_He's pretty nice to me, but he's not so stupid as to pass up the offer of letting someone __**else**__ take the fall,_' she reasoned of Higuchi's character.

'_But if __**Light**__ doesn't get this Death Note, everything will be __**ruined**__,_' she realized, knowing the Death Note in Higuchi's possession definitely had to find its way back in to Light's hands as it was an inevitability. '_If he doesn't remember __**then**__, it would only be a matter of time before he __**does**__. I need to control this situation so that I'll know for __**sure**__ when he becomes Kira again. I'll have to play the part of his lover again, if he allows it in order to keep me close, and I'll __**also**__ need give ownership of the notebook to him._'

'_Even if __**that**__ goes as planned, I can eventually find a way to __**kill**__ him, if I choose that path when the time comes,_' the dark-haired woman plotted. '_But at the __**same**__ time, I have to remember to keep Lawliet __**safe**__... at least until my final decision._'

"Musiko? Are you alright?" Yukisuzu asked with a bit of concern, though he understood the look on her face.

She was pulling her bottom lip and looked as though she were in another world. Both these things meant she was scheming, and that usually didn't turn out good.

"Ryuuzaki!" she called suddenly. "I have an idea."

"Yes?" said detective asked hesitantly, wary of hearing one of her ideas that usually landed her square in the middle of some kind of danger.

"Let me _smooth_ talk Higuchi a little," the singer began to explicate upon her plan. "I'll get him to transfer ownership of that notebook to _me_ under the pretense that if we get caught by L, I'll take the fall for him. He's kind of _nice_ to me... for a _murderer_... but I know he's not so stupid as to pass up the chance to let someone _else_ take the blame."

"I'll bring the notebook back here and we'll test it on Higuchi," she went on, Light and Soichiro not liking that part of her plan. "I mean, he's got to die _or_..."

She gulped with a scowl, "Or I'll _really_ have to marry him, or he'll _sue_ me or something! I don't wanna marry a guy with a _bird_ hairdo!"

Yukisuzu laughed, though he attempted not to, then spoke reassuringly, "Calm down. It might not come to that."

"But we _can't_ use this supposed _notebook_, even if it's to kill a man like Higuchi!" Soichiro insisted, ever adamant regarding his high ideals. "We'd be no better than Kira _himself_!"

"Oh, _shut up_," Musiko whined, fed up with his extreme idealism. "Go polish your _fucking_ halo."

"_Musiko_," said Light, voice warning and stern.

"I'm sorry, Light, but you and your father have _impossible_ ideals," she complained, brow furrowed in frustration. "Please go form your utopia while the rest of us deal with _reality_."

"Now, as I was _saying_," she carried on, eyes returning to Ryuuzaki's turned back, "we'll test it on Higuchi to prove its power."

With a hesitant pause, she then added, "And I guess I'll take the burden of _owning_ the stupid thing upon myself until we decide which one of us should rightly hold onto it. I think Higuchi mentioned you have to use the notebook or you can't own it, so we can just arrange for me, or whomever we choose to hold it, to execute criminals two days _after_ their official execution date. We can do the two days to make sure they aren't acquitted at the last minute."

"Either you let me _do_ this, Ryuuzaki, or I'm off of this case and I'm going back to England with Yukisuzu," she threatened, and she knew it was effective. "I'm only saying that because I know the other option is letting Kira think Matsuda's _alive_ and all that other _bullshit_ I'm sure you've already thought of before _I_ did."

The raven-haired detective took a deep, calming breath, then gave his consent.

"You have my permission," the young man allowed. "As long as Higuchi retains his _memories_, he would be executed for his crimes."

"Ryuuzaki! You can't allow this--" Soichiro began to protest.

Musiko wanted to sock the old man in the jaw as Ryuuzaki interrupted him, "Unless you would prefer to risk _Matsuda's_ life _instead_, only to have Higuchi eventually be executed _regardless_, I suggest you _rethink_ what you were about to say."

Fed up with the woman and the raven-haired detective, Soichiro simply left.

Suddenly, Musiko's phone rang, the singer checking to see it was Higuchi.

"Oh, _great_," she complained. "Kyo-yo's calling."

"Kyo-yo?" asked Yukisuzu, smirking.

"It's a pet name," she replied with a chuckle, then cleared her throat before taking a few deep breaths.

"Two more rings. I can't seem like I'm glued to my phone or desperate for his calls," the woman reasoned, answering exactly two rings later.

"Kyo-yo! What's up, babe?" she asked, sounding thrilled about his call.

"Are we still on for tonight?" Higuchi asked from the other end of the line.

Musiko crossed the fingers of her free hand, answering, "Yes, I'm looking _forward_ to it, but I'll be a few minutes late. My first manager caught me and has to discuss some _boring_ new offers for movie roles. Once I'm done with _that_, I'll be on my way over."

"Great. Do you need a ride?" he asked.

"No, I'll just hot-wire my first manager's new car," she replied through a grin. "She's been such a _bitch_ lately."

"If _that_ doesn't correct her behavior, I'll just have to _fire_ her," added the singer, the threat completely empty.

"Dirty tactics," Kyosuke said, chuckling. "Just what I'd _expect_ from my little devil."

She laughed lightly, "I'll see you later then."

"Later, babe."

Hanging up, she let out a deep sigh, shaking from the horrible feeling of pretending to love Higuchi.

"The sad thing is, I _am_ going to hot-wire Yuki's car," Musiko announced, snickering. "_That_ should get her back for knocking me into a fountain at my last shoot."

* * *

Musiko now stood in her bedroom before her vanity, brushing her long, raven-colored hair.

"Do you wish me to _kill_ this _Higuchi_ once you have ownership of his Death Note?" Kuro asked from behind her, remembering her earlier reaction to the thought of having to marry him.

"No, not yet," she answered. "I want to see how this plays out, so if I tug my ear _twice_, that now means you should kill him. For _now_, I'll wait for the opportune moment, as _always_..."

* * *

After actually hot-wiring Yuki's car just as she _said_ she would, Yukisuzu and Musiko drove to Higuchi's place.

Tonight was the night to initiate her plan, and she felt her nerves tingle with excitement and anxiety. This was the most dangerous thing she'd done so far, that familiar thrill she always felt when doing something risky flooding her veins and sending her a burst of adrenaline.

* * *

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Yukisuzu asked for the third time.

"No, no," insisted the singer, waving her hand at him dismissively. "I'll be _fine_. I'm taking the jeep back anyway, and I want Yuki's car back in place before she calls the police."

He smirked, then warned, "Be careful."

"As _always_," she assured the younger man, getting out of the blue car and shutting the door.

Musiko watched him drive off, then turned toward Higuchi's house, remembering Ryuuzaki's condition to her plan.

* * *

_"If you intend to carry out your plan, use the collar I gave you," said Ryuuzaki._

_Musiko touched the collar, asking, "This thing can record, __**too**__?"_

_"It was made with __**you**__ in mind," he explained. "I knew you'd need a lot of security measures."_

_She smirked, replying, "Thanks for __**believing**__ in me so strongly. Now explain how this thing works."_

* * *

Musiko sighed, slipping a finger under the charm of her collar and activating the recorder that would send live audio straight to Ryuuzaki.

"Testing, testing," she muttered discreetly. "I'm entering Higuchi's place now."


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Scooby-Doo likes Scooby snacks. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** No reviews equals no story. If I don't know that people are reading, there's no point in posting the rest of this. This is the last chapter until I get at least one review, which will tell me someone's reading.

Sorry to be this way, but I don't want to waste my time and effort while I have other projects I could be working on instead.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen - King of Spades (Victory)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- The borrower of the Death Note will not be followed by a god of death._

_The god of death always remains with the owner of the Death Note._

_Also, the borrower cannot trade the eyesight of the god of death._

* * *

After dinner with the enemy, Musiko was curled up next to Higuchi on his couch.

"So, in _summation_," the raven-haired woman began to wrap up her speech, "I was thinking that I'd take the burden of your Death Note with which I'd continue to write the names you instruct, and that way you would be absolved of holding the murder weapon if anyone sniffed us out."

"It's a good plan," he conceded, watching red wine swirl in the wineglass he held, "but risking your life is a heavy price to pay for us _both_."

"_True_, but I'm willing to sacrifice myself for you," the woman returned, forefinger tracing the rim of her own glass. "After all, you've done so _much_ for me. I feel this would be the best way to repay you, and you could think of it as my wedding gift to _you_."

Higuchi grinned to himself, thinking silently, '_**She**__ would take the fall. It would be __**perfect**__._'

"Then I'll accept it," he decided, leaning down slightly and kissing her cheek. "But there's something _else_ that would make me the happiest man alive."

Her brow quirked inquisitively, inquiring, "And what is that?"

"Let me make love to you," answered Higuchi, direct and to-the-point.

* * *

Back at the main room of task force headquarters, practically everyone gasped at hearing Higuchi's request.

"This isn't good," worried Light who was sitting at the desk, looking to the raven-haired detective at the opposite end. "Should we _call_ her?"

"A phone call at the moment would be _highly_ suspicious, and it would only provide a few minutes' distraction," Ryuuzaki turned down his idea. "Musiko will have to think of a way out of this on her _own_, unfortunately. But do _not_ underestimate her."

* * *

Near scowled from his place at the familiar cafe where he was using a device to listen in on Musiko's broadcast to the task force, having captured her choker long enough to set up a link. He was fed up with the danger Musiko continually had to face, deciding he would have to arouse the task force's suspicion in order to get rid of their current problem.

Reaching into his pocket to find a pen and a piece of paper torn from his own Death Note, he clicked the pen and determinedly began to write.

Standing nearby, Għall saw the young man's movements, realizing he was using the Death Note to save the one he loved.

After writing the name and short details of the death, the snow white-haired detective put away the pen and paper, knowing what he'd have to do.

* * *

The raven-haired songstress' heart was practically in her _throat_ at Higuchi's words. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she was about to answer when he suddenly gasped, dropping his glass and clenching his chest.

Hurriedly, she stood, watching him gasp in one long breath before lurching forward and falling onto the couch.

She moved to him hesitantly, checking his pulse.

"Oh, my God!" Musiko squeaked, speaking into the microphone. "He's flippin' _dead_! ...And it was... a _heart attack_."

Her heart clenched with terror; only the _task force_ knew where she was and that she was in trouble. Light, however, didn't have knowledge of the Death Note, so who could possibly have that kind of power?

'_...The only one who would __**resort**__ to this, other than Lawliet or Light, is..._' she realized, thought trailing off.

"I'm calling an ambulance," she informed everyone, pushing away her thought that Near may well have a Death Note of his own.

* * *

In the Jeep Higuchi had given her before his death, Musiko had returned to headquarters after seeing the older man's body taken away.

Rem had fetched Higuchi's notebook beforehand, giving it to her. Musiko took ownership of the notebook and explained to the Shinigami that she'd been unable to find the right time to tell Misa everything, but that she would make sure Misa would remember soon by getting back the old Light Yagami.

With that promise in mind, she took the notebook directly to the task force, now standing at the entrance.

* * *

Musiko held up a notebook, looking directly at an intently watching Ryuuzaki, although she noticed from the corner of her eye that Aizawa had returned. She thought nothing of his reappearance, generally not caring as usual.

"This is the notebook," she told the detective. "As I said, Higuchi is dead."

She then looked around, noticing that Yukisuzu was missing.

Shaking the following thoughts that he must have a Death Note from her worried mind, she made her fateful trek over to the raven-haired detective.

Standing before him, she offered the notebook with a warning, "If you touch this notebook, you'll see a Shinigami."

Hesitant, but intrigued, Ryuuzaki took hold of the notebook, eyes then trailing up to spot the creature standing directly behind Musiko.

His jaw dropped, eyes wide as Musiko moved out from between them, hands clasped before her.

The raven-haired woman announced, "This is Rem."

The detective's eyes then moved back to the notebook, the young man flipping through the pages of countless names. Obviously, there could be no doubt that this was the object that allowed Kira to kill his victims. Carefully, he laid it on the desk, gaze never leaving it.

Anxious to look at the notebook himself and see the Shinigami, Light walked over quickly and grabbed it.

He then turned just in time so that his following scream seemed to be fright from seeing a Shinigami, though it was merely from regaining all the memories he'd lost. Slowly, however, his screaming ceased.

Light gripped the Death Note in his hands as he stared at the familiar face of Rem, remembering everything and grinning darkly to himself a few moments before hearing Musiko's voice.

At that moment, Musiko looked to Ryuuzaki, attempting to cover for Light for the time being, "Yeah, some people probably _react_ like that... I just _poked_ it."

She laughed lightly, eyes curved happily.

Light watched her, eyes shining through a myriad of emotions ranging from lust to something that, if it _weren't_, still _felt_ a lot like love.

He could remember feeling in love with her once his memories had disappeared and it confused him terribly. Logically, he shouldn't have felt anything for her, even if they _had_ had many heated encounters before he'd lost his Death Note.

Still, he felt something as he watched her, Musiko animatedly discussing how Higuchi had died.

"So, _anyway_, I don't want to _own_ the damn thing," Musiko proclaimed, gesturing to the notebook in Light's hands.

"And whoever owns it and _writes_ in it is said to neither go to Heaven nor Hell," she said with a laugh, "so I think we should figure out who wants to go to Mu!"

The singer looked around, eyes finally locking with the brunette's, Musiko proposing, "Out of _everyone_, the best candidate is Light. We all concluded he was once Kira _anyway_, so he must _already_ be heading to Mu - Nothingness."

Light realized what she was doing, the young man looking to Ryuuzaki, "She's right. If one of the _task force_ members is going to own this notebook, it _should_ be me."

"_Light_!" called his father. "You can't take ownership of that evil--"

Light turned to Soichiro, "I'm sorry, dad, but allowing _Musiko_ to keep the notebook would condemn her to Mu. It's only _logical_ that if I've used a Death Note once _before_, I should own it."

The raven-haired detective watched silently, mind running its wheels, '_You should __**own**__ it, huh? ...__**Well**__, if your memories have returned as everything Nyoko has told me would __**suggest**__, then you truly __**are**__ condemned to Mu to __**begin**__ with..._'

'_You __**will**__ keep ownership of the notebook,_' Ryuuzaki concluded, '_but the notebook will remain carefully guarded..._'

His eyes narrowed as he watched Light talking to the others, '_If you really __**were**__ Kira and your memories have just been __**returned**__... the question is... how will you achieve my __**death**__, Light Yagami?_'

* * *

Everyone had finally agreed to allow Light Yagami to own the notebook, ownership being transferred from Musiko to the young brunette man, though he made sure to let her touch the notebook once more so she could recognize the form and voice of Rem.

Now, Ryuuzaki sat stacking small cups of cream, Light sitting at the opposite end of the desk and working on his laptop as Misa was on the monitor, sitting and reading a magazine on her floor.

Instead of looking for Yukisuzu, Musiko now sat impatiently on a couch.

Aizawa, who had once again joined the task force, held the acquired Death Note, reading off the instructions.

"How to _use_ it," he read. "It says the human whose name is written in this notebook... shall _die_..."

"This note will not take _effect_ unless the writer has the person's face in their _mind_ when writing his or her name," he carried on, taking in the information with the others. "Therefore, people _sharing_ the same name will not be affected... If the cause of death is written within _forty_ seconds of writing the person's name, it will _happen_. If the cause of death is _not_ specified, the person will simply die of a _heart attack_."

Pausing briefly, he went on to say, "After writing the cause of _death_, details of the death should be written in the next _six_ minutes and _forty_ seconds..."

"As well," he said, turning to the inside of the back cover, "the _back_ cover has some _more_ instructions on how to use it."

Musiko looked interested, '_**More**__ instructions..? It must be those new rules __**Light**__ added..._'

"There are _two_ more rules," Aizawa explained. "_One_ of them is, if you make this note unusable by _tearing_ it up or _burning_ it, all the humans to have touched the note till then will _die_."

Matsuda looked shocked, exclaiming, "_What_?! Is that really _true_, Aizawa?"

'_That's right,_' thought Light from where he continued to work on his computer. '_With a rule like __**that**__ in place, the notebook's safety is __**guaranteed**__, which means my __**memories**__ of it will remain._'

"Oh, _man_," Matsuda whined, hand to his head as the young man felt overwhelmed. "Maybe I shouldn't have let my curiosity about seeing a Shinigami get the _better_ of me."

"Maybe," conceded the Chief. "But then you would be the only one in the investigation who didn't know what we were dealing with."

"Is that what you want?" he questioned the younger man.

Matsuda backtracked, "_Uhh_, no. Of _course_ not. I want to be on the same page as everyone _else_ on the task force, Chief."

"Way to cave to _peer pressure_, Matsu," Musiko congratulated him sarcastically, then looked away quickly, hands rested to the knee of one leg which was crossed over the other, the singer twiddling her thumbs and whistling innocently.

From where he sat, Light heard her familiar voice and felt that confusing feeling once more, but the young man pushed the thoughts it provoked aside quickly. Now, he reasoned, was not the time to ponder his emotions.

Aizawa looked back down to the last rule written on the notebook, announcing, "And _then_, there's this _last_ rule... According to these instructions at the _back_ of the notebook... if the person using the note _fails_ to consecutively write names of people to be _killed_ within thirteen _days_ of each other, then the user... will _die_."

"_Wait_ a second!" Matsuda said insistently. "If that's _true_, then it means Light and Misa Misa are completely _cleared_, _doesn't_ it?"

"Hmm," Aizawa hummed in return. "Yeah. Now that you _mention_ it, that's right. Light and Misa were detained for more than fifty _days_ and are _still_ under surveillance. If either of them had been Kira, there's no _way_ they would still be _alive_ by now."

"Wow! That's great news, isn't it, Chief?" asked Matsuda happily.

Soichiro replied, though he sounded as though he weren't completely assured it would be enough, "Yeah."

"_Rem_, was it? That's your _name_, isn't it - the white _thing_ over there?" asked Ryuuzaki.

"Ryuuzaki," Matsuda began worriedly, "isn't it a bit _rude_ to go around calling someone a 'white thing'?"

"He's right. I don't think being _rude_ to a Shinigami and calling it a "white _thing_" is a good way of establishing good terms with something that can _kill_ you," Musiko interjected exasperatedly, sighing and crossing her arms.

"_What_ do you want?" asked Rem, seemingly unoffended.

Ryuuzaki spoke, directly to the point, "There's more than one notebook in the human world, isn't there?"

"_Who_ knows?" she replied vaguely. "There may _be_ and there may _not_ be."

"If there _are_ other notebooks," he went on to say, "either here or in _your_ world, would they _all_ have the same rules as this one?"

"_Yes_, they are _all_ the _same_," Rem told him, simply perpetuating the lie. "There are _many_ notebooks in the Shinigami _realm_, but they _all_ have the same _rules_ - even the rules for when _humans_ obtain them."

"Ryuuzaki," said Aizawa, walking over to the detective, "Miss Amane and Light have _both_ been cleared of suspicion. They shouldn't be under surveillance any longer."

"That's right!" Matsuda agreed. "It's crystal clear!"

"I suppose you're right," replied the raven-haired detective.

'_You should think of a reason to __**keep**__ them under surveillance, Lawliet!_' Musiko's mind screamed with frustration, but she held her tongue.

"I understand," Ryuuzaki concluded, almost stacking his last cream cup, but pulling away. "_Please_ accept my apologies for all the trouble."

"Thank goodness," said Light's father with relief, walking over to his son and placing his hand to his shoulder.

Light stood, saying, "Yeah, but... we _still_ can't say that we've _solved_ the case until we've figured out _everything_."

"May I continue investigating with you?" he asked the detective.

"Yes," Ryuuzaki answered simply.

'_And just like __**that**__, Misa and I are proven innocent,_' Light thought from where he stood, tainted eyes watching Ryuuzaki. '_A notebook of __**death**__, filled with rules written by a Shinigami; he has no __**choice**__ but to believe it. __**He**__ just lost his __**edge**__ thanks to the fake rules I created._'

He smiled darkly to himself, '_Listen, Ryuuzaki... No matter __**what**__ the world, the __**god**__ of that world creates the rules. In __**truth**__, you've already been defeated by the rules __**I**__ created. And as punishment for defying the __**god**__ of the new world, you will __**die**__._'

His mind then turned, smile falling as he remembered those confusing feelings for Musiko that still plagued him once more. He could remember clearly her wish to serve Kira, and he truly believed that wish to be her honest desire.

The young man then recognized that _she_ had been the one to make certain that he regained the notebook as soon as possible, even placing herself in danger to do so.

At these thoughts, his dark smile returned.

As he'd once told Ryuk, she was perfect; she was everything he needed in a partner, and his confusing feelings for her only intensified his desire to keep her with him. Once he could rid himself of Rem and Misa, and also the troublesome detective L, he and Musiko would be three steps closer to ruling the new world under the law and judgment of Kira.

Musiko, on the other hand, was thinking about an entirely _different_ situation as she stared at the wall to her left.

'_Near has a Death Note; I'm __**sure**__ of it,_' she thought sadly. '_How could he keep this from me after all I told him? Does he not __**trust me**__ as much as I thought I could trust __**him**__?_'

"Ryuuzaki," the woman spoke up, gaze turning to the detective's back. "It's obvious that there's another Kira who decided to help me..."

"Or, on the _other_ hand, maybe you believe _I_ killed Higuchi somehow..." she trailed off with a small scowl. "Either way, there's someone out there with another notebook."

Suddenly, Ryuuzaki's computer beeped, Watari's letter appearing.

"Ryuuzaki?" the elder man asked.

"Yes?"

"Sakura TV has just received a tape from a known criminal, Hibiki Yukimura, claiming to be a _messenger_ of a Kira," explained Watari. "After delivering the tape, he died of a heart attack. I'm sending you the message now."

A black screen with white, Old London font that read 'Kira' appeared on the screen, the task force watching curiously.

Following, a scrambled voice announced, "I am a Kira. I killed _Higuchi_ for Miss Musiko. I will never allow her to marry a man I deem unworthy."

"I know where she goes and who she is with," the voice continued calmly. "I know everything, and I will kill anyone who attempts to _harm_ my angel of music."

Musiko sat up straight upon hearing the words 'angel of music'.

Yukisuzu had called her such before, so it was a clear sign that he wanted at least for _Musiko_ to be assured it was him.

"Musiko, I love you," the voice admitted. "I _will_ protect you."

'_But why send a video to __**announce**__ this - just to reassure the __**task force**__ that someone __**other**__ than myself is responsible for Higuchi's death?_' Musiko pondered, slowly realizing it was likely the only move Near could fathom to make after his actions that placed her in the center of suspicion.

Musiko sighed, picking up her black Gucci shoulder bag and heading for the exit, "I'm going for a drive. I need to clear my head."

The screen then cut off as she left, Watari's screen reappearing.

"Thank you, Watari," Ryuuzaki said, turning around to the others, noticing Musiko was now gone.

"It's pretty _obvious_ that only _Yukisuzu_ could be capable of knowing Musiko was in trouble," Aizawa reasoned, having been informed about everything once he rejoined the task force.

"I'm afraid we have no _proof_ that Yukisuzu had any _idea_ that Miss Hanabi was in danger," the detective replied, nibbling on his thumb. "For _now_, this seems to be a challenge against myself, Light and Yukisuzu as well."

"Ryuuzaki, do you truly believe there is _another_ Kira with information that should only be known by the task force who isn't a _part_ of the task force itself?" asked Light with a sigh, secretly all for having Yukisuzu caught as a Kira.

"I believe... that _anything_ is _possible_," concluded the raven-haired man. "If, for _example_, three men who profess _feelings_ for one woman happened to join the same small task force with the woman in question, then I believe anything _else_ is _entirely_ possible after such an _accidental_ occurrence."

Unfortunately, no one could argue with that.


	15. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Usagi Tsukino loves donuts. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, I received a review, so thank you. Now that I know at least one person is still reading, I'll keep on posting as I get them done, although I may be slower than usual for a while because of the holidays. This might be the last one for a couple of days, just so you know.

Also, a reviewer just got on my Hall of Shame (on profile) for being rude and generally telling me how to act.

Congratulations to Fuzzy Lawliet for their place in my shiny, new HoS!

Your replies now light my furnace of doom! :D

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen - Three of Diamonds (Honesty)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- When the owner of the Death Note dies while the note is being lent, its ownership will be transferred to the person who is holding it at that time._

* * *

The next morning, many things at task force headquarters had inevitably changed.

After the fake rules had been discussed, the task force had also discussed Light's possession of the notebook, Musiko helpfully stating that other than his father, he was the best available candidate to hold the power of the notebook based on his persona and ideals.

Soichiro had objected, of course, but Light valiantly stated that he wanted to make a sacrifice for the investigation, and everyone but Musiko and Ryuuzaki had been in awe of his dedication and determination to vanquish the evil Kira.

As of now, Misa and Light were cleared of suspicion, but it also came about that Musiko was now even more suspected of being a Kira for the death of Higuchi by Ryuuzaki, which Yukisuzu had failed to take into his calculations.

However, the raven-haired detective curiously didn't order Musiko to be under constant surveillance. He outwardly reasoned that surveillance would prove nothing as he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. But truthfully, the young man no longer had any suspects to honestly pursue, leaving him virtually empty-handed and also unable to trust someone he once thought trustworthy.

L was completely out of options, and he was beginning to resign himself to the fact that he may very well die very soon.

In all that time, Musiko had managed to corner Misa on her floor - which had no cameras or wire taps as of yet. She had then explained to the model about her lost memories and Light Yagami's status as the first Kira. She also said she was an ally of Kira, making Misa her ally as well, the younger woman buying into the sentiment easily. It was just in time, too, before her floor was set up to be monitored.

Now, while Misa and Light were parting ways, Musiko and Yukisuzu were arguing on the roof, the only place the cameras would now be unable to find them.

* * *

"Why didn't you _tell_ me?!" Nyoko demanded of the white-haired man as they stood on the roof, the morning sun rising in the distance. "I trusted you with _my_ secret!"

"Because," he began, hands to her shoulders to calm her down, "I couldn't let you know about my trump card. I _knew_ you'd try to take the Death Note from me, but I _need_ it to _protect_ you."

She slapped his wrists away with the backs of her hands, marching off.

"How the hell did you _expect_ me to react?" she asked, turning to face him. "My mission isn't _just_ to protect L, it's to complete this case for him one way or another to show him I _can_ be useful and I _can_ take care of myself."

"I want to do this for him because it's the last way I can think of to make him see me as more than that helpless girl he used to know," Nyoko told the white-haired detective.

"When I found my notebook and _touched_ it for the first time, I had a vision," confessed the songstress. "I _saw_ Lawliet die."

"I was scared; I was _terrified_," she told him, clearly upset. "I knew someone was going to kill him, but I had no idea _how_ until Kuro came to me."

She turned away, sighing, "I knew I'd never use the notebook against L, but a _Death Note_ gave me the vision. I was certain someone would find one of their own and he'd be in danger because of it, so I took up this burden to _prove_ myself to him and protect him like he used to do for _me_."

"Anyone who has a notebook is my enemy," the raven-haired woman asserted. "If you have a notebook, I have to _kill_ you."

"I've _seen_ what the note's done to Misa and Light. Once I have every notebook, I'm sure I'll go mad with their power and someone will have to kill _me_ and take the burden," she told him softly. "But I fight against the note's evil influence every day because I have something I need to prove."

He inquired incredulously, "Is all of this to gain L's _love_?"

"No," she answered, facing him once more. "I just have to prove to him that I can take care of myself. Your use of the Death Note actually worked _against_ me in my mission and in the fact that I'm now a prominent suspect in this investigation."

Yukisuzu sighed, looking away and out to the horizon; he looked for what to say or do to fix the problem, but only came up with turning himself in. After all, he could always wait until the fake rules were disproven and simply tear out the pages of names in his notebook.

He looked back to the raven-haired songstress, "For _now_, with Light's fake rules in mind, I can't afford to give up and turn myself in to the rest of the task force. But once you've done what you need to do, I'll give the notebook to you by turning myself in, if that's what you want."

"That sounds _perfect_," Nyoko agreed, walking past him toward the exit. "By _that_ time, I'll be able to take the notebooks we accumulate as my own burden, so I'll take yours as well."

* * *

Meanwhile, Light spoke to Misa where they were parting, the cameras unable to detect the movement of his face or mouth from his placement.

"Misa," he said, catching the blonde's attention. "I'm gonna tell you about a special place: I need you to _go_ there and dig something up, but you have to make sure that _no one_ is watching."

Misa smiled to herself, '_Light! Your memory must've __**returned**__!_'

'_Don't worry; I can __**do**__ this,_' she mentally assured him. '_I __**won't**__ let you down._'

* * *

After Misa had left to find the buried notebook, Light caught Musiko coming back from the roof.

Together, they walked side-by-side, Light looking over to the songstress who looked back in return.

"Something wrong?" she asked the young man, eyebrows raised inquisitively.

The brunette looked away, "We should talk... _privately_."

She looked ahead once more, sighing, "Somehow, I have this feeling I'll be visiting the _roof_ a lot from now on..."

* * *

After obtaining permission, seeing as Ryuuzaki was completely out of sorts, Light and Musiko stood on the roof, the former standing near the edge and looking out at the city.

She smiled to herself, "If you've come to talk about how you _thought_ you loved me when you lost your memories and how you really never _have_ and were just _pretending_ before--"

"_Oops_! Guess you don't _need_ to," Musiko finished, crossing her arms. "I'm _naive_, I'll grant, but I'm not _stupid_. I know where I stand and that you can't trust me as far as you could throw me."

She turned around to face him, waiting for him to say something, though it seemed he was busy watching the horizon.

In truth, he was looking for the words to say, having never been more uncertain of his own emotions before. All he knew was that he felt _something_ for her, and he would prefer to keep her alive now instead of getting rid of her once she was no longer useful.

His gaze turned to the raven-haired woman, her hair dancing around on the wind at their lofty location, the sun splashed across the roof below them.

He'd never noticed how her hair glistened in the sun or how her eyes shown brightly in the light before, but now he saw those details clearly.

He forced himself to look away, attempting to shake away any sentimentality. He wondered where these thoughts were coming from.

"Maybe we should wait to talk some other time about whatever it is that's on your mind," Musiko finally suggested at his silence, arms falling to her sides.

Without any other way to express what he felt, he gave his most honest choice of words as he looked to her once more.

"I feel _something_ when I look at you, or when I hear your voice," Light told her, shrugging slightly. "And I think it may be love."

Musiko sighed, "It's not all _that_ confusing that when you had no memories of the Death Note, you may have remembered certain _times_ when we were together and became confused into thinking you loved me. The Light without those memories was a little _naive_ in that way."

Light replied, looking into her midnight blue eyes, "What I feel _now_ is entirely different from what I felt _then_... What I feel _now_ for you, when I hear your voice or look at you, I can't describe as anything other than love. And if this isn't love, I'm not sure what love _is_."

Her brow twitched with frustration as his every physical clue pointed to the increasingly curious idea that he was being honest.

"Don't play _games_ with me, Light Yagami," Musiko brushed off his words. "Maybe _Misa_ is gullible enough to fall for your words, but I'm an _entirely_ different matter."

"I _was_ honest in my profession of love for you because I have always _admired_ the true Kira, and meeting you showed me my assessment of your personality was _right_, only furthering the feeling," she added, weaving every word with care to keep him pleased. "But my mission has always been to aid the _true_ Kira and to _kill_ the Kiras who don't share the same goals as the god of the new world."

Her smile grew wider, "In _doing_ so, I can accumulate more Death Notes, and only _six_ can remain in the world at one time."

"Imagine having _all six_ Death Notes in your power," she painted a picture for him as she slowly walked closer, choosing her words carefully to maintain the connection she had obviously made to him. "You'd no longer have to worry about _idiot_ followers obtaining power that they can't use properly, just like _Misa Amane_. You wouldn't have to worry about other _Shinigami_ being _devoted_ to those they give a notebook, like _Rem_."

"_And_," she continued with a quirk of her eyebrow, "if _that_ isn't enough, let me sweeten the deal by reminding you that my Shinigami is the _son_ of the Great god of death. As long as you have _me_, you'll have access to Kuro."

"Kuro knows _all_ the rules pertaining to the notebook, and some of them he doesn't even have to _follow_," the woman enticed him further, now standing before him and gazing up into his reddish-brown eyes. "He's an _invaluable_ asset to our shared goals."

"_Together_, we would have _Kuro_, we can get _rid_ of Rem and Misa, one of us would take Rem's _personal notebook_, you can make sure L _dies_," she listed off a to-do list, and then added with a roll of her eyes, "and we'd have _Ryuk_ around for _comic relief_."

Light laughed lightly, but the singer held up a forefinger.

"_Plus_, I have _Yukisuzu_, _another_ Kira, wrapped around my finger," she informed him, his eyes wide as her finger danced. "He's going to give me his Death Note by turning himself in, but he'll have to do so once you get rid of L."

"And then, if you _want_," the woman added, hand falling, "I'll turn over that Death Note to _you_."

"_But_," she began to stipulate, "quid pro quo, _I_ want to be recognized by the world as a true Kira, and given a fancy title to prove my status... Maybe _arch angel_ of the god of the new world, or something like that..? I mean, it shouldn't be _too_ hard for the _god_ of the new world to get me a fancy _title_, should it?"

He smiled, which unnerved her greatly as it wasn't laced with malice and other dark intentions. For once, it looked so genuine that she felt a pang of guilt about lying to him so much. And when she felt _that_, she realized whatever he was about to say would be honest and with good intent.

The world was a uniquely scary place when the evil that is Kira could say something honest with good will in mind.

"Musiko," he began, the songstress waiting with baited breath for what he could possibly say next. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

Her shining eyes blinked, mind a little baffled at where his words were coming from.

Light noticed her confusion and answered as he reached up and brushed some of her long bangs behind her ear, "I know you _pretty_ well by now, and you talk a lot when you're scared or nervous... but you don't have to be afraid. I _really_ don't want to hurt you."

The raven-haired woman's eyes narrowed slightly, peering back into his brown orbs as if seeking out any hint of dishonesty.

He simply smiled down at her, unnerving her further.

'_What am I supposed to say __**now**__?_' she pondered in her puzzlement, at a loss for her next move.

"_Well_, everything I said still stands," blurted out the songstress, turning and walking off toward the edge of the roof, her hands slipping into the pockets of her jeans.

She felt something important was about to be said by the young brunette man, so her finger discreetly turned her phone on to record it, Light walking up behind her. As a psychic, she knew to always trust her intuition.

"You're the only one I can _trust_, Musiko," Light told her. "I _will_ kill Misa and you'll be my Eyes. There will only be me, the _first_ Kira, and you, the _second_ Kira. I will be the _god_ of the new world and you will be my goddess. Together, we'll be the _true_ Kiras, and we'll make the world a better place."

Musiko's finger gently turned off the recorder as she replied, "If that's what you want, then that's fine with me..."

She turned around, facing him, "But I always play on the winning side while they're winning, even if the odds look grim, so until you _prove_ to me that you can take this dream into reality by _killing L_ without my help, I'm on the side with the larger number."

His hands rested to her shoulders, repeating her own words with a smile, eyes curved happily, "If that's what you want, then that's fine with me..."

Brown orbs looked down into midnight blue eyes as he added determinedly, "L _will_ die, and you _will_ be mine."

* * *

In the morning fog, Misa went to the location that Light had told her about, digging up a box which held a notebook. It was actually her old Death Note, the Shinigami now attached to it being Ryuk through the switch Light had done before losing his memories of the notebook.

She picked it up, gasping as her eyes widened, memories rushing back to her one after the other.

Once the memories ceased, her gaze returned to the notebook in her hands as she laughed and closed her eyes in silent thought, '_**Light**__! I __**remember**__! I remember everything that happened when I had this __**notebook**__._'

'_You __**buried**__ this one so I could come here and __**regain**__ my memories,_' she concluded, eyes opening as her fingers flipped through the notebook's pages.

Suddenly, a piece of paper fell from the Death Note, Misa looking down to it.

The young woman picked it up and began to read it silently.

'Dear Misa,

By the time you read this letter, you should have remembered everything.

Do you remember my friend at To-Oh University? He went by the name Hideki Ryuuga.

I want you to write his real name in the notebook and kill him, then burn this letter right away.

Take a number of pages from the notebook and rebury it where you found it.

The next time that we see each other, casually touch me with a piece of the notebook.

If you do this for me, I promise I will love you for the rest of my life.'

"_Yay_!" the blonde cheered excitedly.

She then looked up determinedly, mind going over the situation, '_Now I __**see**__. This was all part of Light's __**plan**__. He wanted me to __**get**__ this notebook, __**regain**__ all my memories, and then... __**kill**__ Hideki Ryuuga - __**kill**__ Ryuuzaki... One of Light's __**biggest**__ obstacles will be gone, and I'll be helpful to him at __**last**__!_ '

Her eyes then softened in realization, the woman slumping forward with her palms to the ground, '_But, Light, it's no __**good**__! I don't remember his __**name**__ anymore... I was seeing dozens-- No. No, __**hundreds**__ of names and lifespans every __**day**__!_'

"Oooh!" she cried in frustration, looking up into the tree branches above at the foggy sky. "I can't remember no matter _what_! Oh, I'm such an _idiot_!"

On a tree branch above, the young woman saw a creature land, crouching and looking down to her.

"I've finally returned to the human world," commented Ryuk.

"Oh! Ryuk!" the blonde called up to the Shinigami with a smile.

* * *

"Oh, it's been so _long_!" Misa cried out, hugging Ryuk around the neck as he now stood on the ground. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! How are you doing?"

"Sorry... _Uhh_," he said, slowly phasing out so that Misa fell through him and onto the ground, landing on her butt.

She looked up at him curiously, the Shinigami explaining, "I'm a _guy_; I get a little.. shy... some.. times."

Misa laughed, then turned and went to her backpack, saying, "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot."

"Here!" she called, taking out an apple and holding it up for the Shinigami who looked more than thrilled. "Light told me to bring one for you."

Ryuk dug into the apple, the model asking, "Is it _really that_ good?"

"Oh, yeah," he replied. "Human apples are-- What's the word? _Juicy_, I think... They're great, anyway."

With the apple core still in his mouth, he offered, "Why don't you try _this_?"

He reached out, offering an apple which looked less than appetizing.

"An apple from the _Shinigami_ world," he explained to the young woman.

"Eww," she groaned, taking the horrible-looking apple. "It doesn't _look_ very good."

"Come on," encouraged the Shinigami. "One _bite_ won't kill ya."

"By the way, before I _forget_," Misa told him, still staring at the apple that was now in her hands, "I want you to make the _Eye_ deal with me."

With that, she took a bite of the apple, promptly spitting it out and throwing the rest on the ground.

"It's _sand_!" cried the young blonde, looking to the Shinigami.

He asked, "The _deal_, huh?"

"Mmhmm," the young woman returned with a nod.

"You _understand_ what that _means_; you already made the same deal with _Rem_ once before," he thought aloud, then questioned her. "Are you _sure_ you really want me to cut your lifespan in half... for the second time?"

She rubbed her head frustratedly, sighing, "I _know_, but what choice do I _have_? You see, I've forgotten a name that I absolutely _have_ to remember... Light will be so _mad_ at me if I let him down."

"Heh," he laughed. "Well, it's _fine_ with me."


	16. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Santa loves cookies. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Merry Christmas! I made you a cookie.

But I eated it.

So I finished a chapter for you instead!

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen - Two of Spades (Gain)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- When the owner of the Death Note dies while the note is being lent, its ownership will be transferred to the person who is holding it at that time._

* * *

The next day, Light had helpfully been giving Ryuuzaki every reason under the sun for why Musiko couldn't have killed Higuchi and couldn't have her own Death Note besides. The young man tried everything, then finally hit a nerve.

"I thought you _trusted_ Musiko, Ryuuzaki," Light had said simply.

The raven-haired detective's fingers twitched, causing him to almost drop the ice cream cone he held.

Musiko, who was sitting on a couch at the back, crossed her arms and replied, "He's going to see that as a part of the personal bias argument. Therefore, his judgment isn't impartial, which actually _negates_ the idea that he should make any official declarations of either my innocence or guilt."

"That's true," Light agreed, then looked to the raven-haired man who sat in his usual seat. "If you can't make a decision based on personal bias, then the _rest_ of the task force should be allowed to make the decision _for_ you."

Ryuuzaki glowered, "Very well. I can't _think_ very well with your constant complaints."

"So, what, are you all going to take a _vote_ on who thinks I'm innocent and who thinks I'm guilty?" Musiko asked, smirking with amusement. "I ask because that will be _just_ as biased if you don't all discuss the reasons for my innocence or guilt in a logical manner."

Laughing lightly, she added, "I can't _wait_ to hear _this_..."

Aizawa crossed his arms, looking to the songstress with a challenge, "Then why don't you just _tell_ us what we're going to say, since you seem to have our opinions _completely_ figured out _already_."

Musiko slowly grinned, "Aizawa... you're a _genius_!"

"..._Huh_?" he muttered, confused.

"All I have to do is _honestly_ state everything against and for the case of my innocence to settle this," she concluded, as if it were so simple.

"First of all, I had no _time_ to kill Higuchi nor the opportunity to do so when he was with me the _entire_ time. And why would I kill him if I was so dead set on having the task force _catch_ him in the _first_ place? Those are facts that are for my innocence," explained the raven-haired woman at length. "However, the fact that I'm a _psychic_ may have alerted me to Higuchi's actions. If I _did_ have a Death Note of my own, I could have previously written his name down for a specific time."

"However, I don't have a built-in _timetable_ for my visions, so how could it be a _premeditated_ murder? I would have to know exactly _when_ to kill him and the timing was extremely uncanny," she reasoned with the rest of the task force. "_Plus_, there's already the questionable but nevertheless present evidence that someone _else_ killed Higuchi if we take the tape sent to Sakura TV into account."

"But _you_ could have sent that tape _yourself_," commented Aizawa, crossing his arms.

"Yes, but whether or not you _like_ me, you have to credit me as having _some_ level of intellect, and making that video would have been _quite_ a stupid move on _my_ part," Musiko explained patiently. "It only drew _attention_ to me, _helping_ me to further become a suspect. _I_ would have known better than that."

"Based on all of this," she concluded, "we can't know for _sure_ if I actually have a Death Note of my own or not, but we see that the evidence we have is _clearly_ against my having killed Higuchi."

"If I'm honest, I'd say I should _officially_ become a suspect once more evidence for the theory of my having a Death Note becomes available," the woman added. "After all, we've heard over _twenty_ good reasons for why I _don't_ have a Death Note from Light today."

"Alright... For _now_, you're free to come and go as you please," Ryuuzaki finally declared. "But your _floor_ will still be under surveillance."

"Sounds reasonable to _me_," the singer agreed, smiling to herself.

"Now _wait_ just a damn minute!" Aizawa interrupted, outraged by the way things were going. "Are we going to _trust the suspect_? This is _ridiculous_!"

Light replied, "If you can't trust Musiko, at least trust _me_."

The other man shrugged in defeat, replying, "I give up. _Shinigami_, notebooks of _death_ - _nothing_ makes sense anymore."

"Hmm... _Yes_," Ryuuzaki agreed. "I _share_ your sentiments."

* * *

Not much later, Misa had come to headquarters, touching Light with a piece of her Death Note so that he once again saw Ryuk.

Unfortunately, she also had to give him the bad news that she couldn't remember Hideki Ryuuga's name.

She also revealed that she'd made the Eye deal once again.

* * *

The next day, Ryuuzaki sat at one couch in the main room at headquarters, examining the Death Note the task force had acquired.

He found a small piece of it to be missing, making note of it aloud, "Hmm... _Interesting_. The corner of the _page_ of this notebook has been torn off."

"Can you kill someone just by writing their _name_ on a piece?" the detective asked, looking up to Rem who stood facing him from behind the other couch.

"Can't _say_," replied the Shinigami. "I've never _tried_ using it like that, and I don't know of anyone who _has_."

"Then let me _ask_ you," he began, setting down the notebook on the small table before him, "do _gods_ of _death_ love apples?"

She answered, "Not necessarily. You see, our internal _organs_ have already _degraded_. We've... _evolved_ to a point where we do not require sustenance."

Eating a bite of another sugary sweet, Ryuuzaki spoke to Light who was standing at the wall some feet behind him near the staircase, "_Say_, Light... You're _finally_ free to leave headquarters on your own, but it _seems_ like you never go out..."

The raven-haired detective took another bite from his spoon, adding, "Even when _Misa_ comes to visit, you only chat with her for a few minutes _outside_."

"You _do_ realize you're free to have a relationship with her now," he pointed out, slightly looking over his shoulder to the brunette.

Light, arms crossed from where he still stood, replied, "That can wait until we've managed to _solve_ this case. I'm not in the mood for _love_, or anything _else_ right now."

His arms falling, he changed the subject, "_Anyway_... Are you suggesting that I'll be a _nuisance_ for staying here?"

"No," the detective replied simply, wary eyes watching the younger man discreetly.

* * *

That same day, Misa came to visit yet again, now given the charge of writing criminals' names on the pages torn from her notebook in Light's stead.

Using a different exit, Musiko had managed to sneak around outside, lying in wait for the blonde.

Once Misa had left the building, the raven-haired songstress had caught up with her and coaxed her into a little meeting at a cafe...

* * *

"Misa, now that you've _surely_ regained your memories, I thought you should be reminded that I still _know_ about the Death Note," Musiko told the younger woman, the two now alone with their Shinigami in the tucked away booth at the cafe Light had shown the raven-haired woman.

Digging in her purse, the songstress took out a piece of her Death Note, pushing it over to Misa.

The blonde understood the gesture, but looked hesitant.

"Go ahead," coaxed the songstress. "You'll see my Shinigami."

Misa touched the small slip of paper, looking up to Musiko's side to see a fur-clad Shinigami with wolfish features smiling down at her.

"Hello," he greeted. "_I_ am Kuro."

Eyes trailing back to Musiko, Misa asked excitedly, attempting to confirm her thoughts, "So you really are on _our_ side, right?"

"Yeah," the singer replied with a smile and a nod. "Light knows about Kuro, _too_. I'll be helping you _both_ from now on, so I thought you should meet my Shinigami."

She added, gaining a serious look, "But there's something _else_ I wanted to discuss..."

"Misa. I have a _deal_ for you," Musiko finally said, getting straight to the point.

"_Really_? What is it?" Misa asked, looking interested.

"This is really important, but I don't want the _Shinigami_ eavesdropping, so can you get Ryuk to _leave_ for a bit?"

Misa asked her Shinigami sweetly, "Can you go outside for just a _little_ while, Ryuk? _Please_?"

Reluctantly, Ryuk agreed, "_Fine_..."

Ryuk left, rubbing the back of his head and grumbling about being left out.

"You go with Ryuk, Kuro. Okay?" Musiko requested.

"Of course, Mistress," Kuro returned, leaving with the other Shinigami.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" questioned the blonde model, anxious to hear Musiko's offer.

Musiko smiled back at the girl, explaining, "I realize that you writing in the pages of the notebook _now_ puts you in the most danger you've been in _yet_, even if they're just pages... I say this because, if Light is caught at any point _now_, _you_ will logically have to be the second Kira and the police will come _after_ you."

"So, in light of all this, I _think_ we should pull one over on Light," suggested the older woman, "because I _know_ he trusts you as his partner, and that he's told you to start killing criminals again."

"And before you object," she quickly added, "Light will never know the difference and you'll be completely _safe_ in case he screws up."

"_But_, I'll need you to dig up the buried notebook for my idea to work," the singer concluded.

"I don't _know_, Musiko," Misa said worriedly. "I'd do _anything_ for Light, and he wants me to _obey_ him."

"I know," the raven-haired woman replied, nodding in understanding. "But this deal of mine means you won't be in trouble if he messes up; the police can't _prove_ you're the second Kira without finding the _real_ notebook or the pages taken _from_ it. With you free to _help_ him, you could save Light's life, or _at least_ make sure he stays a free man..."

"He may be a _genius_, but _everyone_ makes mistakes," the singer reminded the model.

She then insisted, "I'm just looking out for my little sis and my good friend."

"_Well_," Misa said hesitantly, contemplating the offer.

'_I __**do**__ trust Musiko with my life,_' thought the teen idol with a thoughtful frown. '_She's always looked out for me. And if my darling Light made a mistake, I could save him and he'd __**definitely**__ love me! He'd forget all __**about**__ ever loving __**Musiko**__!_'

"Alright!" the blonde-haired model agreed enthusiastically.

"Great!" Musiko replied happily. "The plan is pretty simple, even if it _sounds_ complex."

"I'll give Ryuk _my_ notebook and he'll give its ownership to _you_. I'll lose my memories and the Eyes, but that's okay," she explained as slowly as possible.

"Then you'll let me hold on to the notebook I gave you, giving me back my memories; I'll just be _holding_ it for you," the raven-haired singer stressed. "And don't worry; you'll get your notebook back as soon as I'm sure L is going to die and is no longer a _threat_ to all of us."

"Then _you'll_ give up ownership of _your_ Death Note and give it to _Kuro_ who'll give it to _me_ temporarily."

Musiko had made their transaction as complicated as possible to make the blonde confused enough to soon fall for the trick she had up her sleeve. The transaction itself gave her a headache to sort out, but she had the details completely ironed out.

"Okay," Misa allowed, slightly confused by the complex plot. "So it's _kind_ of like trading notebooks... only _really_ complicated!"

Musiko smiled and nodded, "That's exactly right. Especially the _complicated_ part!"

The two laughed, but Misa suddenly looked worried.

"But I made the _Eye_ deal with _Ryuk_," the blonde told Musiko.

The other problem that Musiko had encountered had been that Misa surely took the Eye deal again, but Kuro had explained that he _could_ give someone Shinigami Eyes for a price other than lifespan if _absolutely_ necessary, though it did reflect badly upon him.

The only reason he had halved Musiko's lifespan was because he could negate the effects if she was under his protection. Still, even though it was a last resort, Kuro had then suggested that the price should be Musiko's safety from being the target of a Death Note by Misa if she ever lost ownership of the note he had given her.

"That's fine," the singer dismissed. "Kuro is the son of the Great god of death; he can give you Shinigami Eyes _without_ taking half of your lifespan. The price he requires is that you never target me with any Death Notes you own."

"I'd never do _that_!" Misa insisted, upset that Musiko would think such a thing.

"I know, but _he_ doesn't know that, so just promise him and you'll have the Eyes for _free_," Musiko whisper conspiratorially with a smile.

Misa nodded, returning the smile, though it looked much more pure and innocent than the songstress'.

"But _before_ all that," the raven-haired songstress explained, "I'll give you a _fake_ notebook that looks like the one you'll dig up, and you'll write names in it without telling any of our Shinigami that it's a fake."

"If _Rem_ knew, she'd be upset, but we have to keep Light _safe_, _right_?" Musiko asked, wanting the model on the same page.

"Right," Misa agreed. "I feel _bad_ about not getting to tell Rem, though..."

"Just trust me. If we do this, _everyone_ will be better off, _including_ Light," Musiko assured her sweetly.

The blonde nodded, "That's true... What _next_?"

"Well, if Light asks to see the pages with the names, you can tear out the pages from the _fake_ where you'll be writing names and show him _those_ and he'll think you're still writing the names down," the other woman replied. "We'll just have to hang out more so we write down matching criminals, _okay_?"

"Sure! It sounds like fun!" the girl exclaimed happily.

"_Then_, when I'm certain L is as good as dead, we'll meet and you'll have Ryuk leave so you can give me the fake notebook," continued Musiko. "I don't want him messing up our plan."

"I'll give _you_ back the Death Note you _originally_ had," Musiko then explained, slipping in a lie. "My memories will be lost, but I'll regain them when you give my _real_ Death Note that I _originally_ had to Kuro who'll give it back to _me_."

"_You_ just have to make sure you don't forget which one is the _fake_, alright?" she asked, hoping Misa understood what was happening to _some_ extent.

"Okay," Misa replied. "I _think_ I understand."

"Alright. I'll give you the fake notebook that's blank now," Musiko said, reaching into her purse and pulling out the authentic-looking fake. "Just remember that the _real_ one is full of names, okay?"

Musiko neglected to point out to the model that she shouldn't logically know what Misa's notebook looked like. certain the younger woman would be too confused by all the details to think of it. The only reason Musiko knew what Misa's original notebook looked like was because she sent her Shinigami to follow Misa.

When he returned to the songstress, he drew what the notebook looked like. Trusting Kuro's memory, Musiko then copied the design onto the fake, careful to make it exact.

Now, the singer slid the fake notebook over to Misa who picked it up and examined it.

"_Wow_," the girl said in awe, studying it closely. "It looks just _like_ the real thing!"

"Thanks," Musiko replied, shrugging slightly. "I made it myself. And so you can _tell_ it's the fake just by _feeling_, there's a corner of the first page torn out at the top."

"Cool," said Misa, slipping the fake notebook into her large purse.

"For now, you need to copy the names from your _real_ Death Note pages into the fake."

Misa nodded with a determined look, "Got it."

"Let's meet tomorrow and exchange notebooks, okay?" the singer asked.

"Sure. I'll come to get you at headquarters, if _that's_ okay," the blonde-haired girl replied.

"Sure," Musiko agreed. "That'll be fine."

* * *

The next day, after Misa visited Light, Musiko met up with her, the blonde leading the songstress to a park and into the forest. There, the blonde dug up her notebook.

"Okay, let's get started," Musiko said, directing the switch. "Ryuk, Kuro'll give you _my_ notebook and you'll give ownership of it to Misa."

She looked to Misa, instructing, "I'll lose my memories, so quickly touch me with my original notebook afterward."

"Everybody ready?" she asked, looking from face to face.

"All set!" Misa chimed.

"Kuro," Musiko said, holding her notebook out to him. "I relinquish ownership of the note."

Kuro took the notebook, Musiko stumbling as all her memories vanished and she could neither hear nor see Kuro. Her Shinigami Eyes _also_ went away.

Quickly, Kuro gave the notebook to Ryuk who gave it to Misa.

"I accept ownership of this notebook!" Misa declared before touching a confused Musiko with the notebook.

Musiko bit back a scream, memories of the notebook flooding her mind as she held her head in pain. When it was over, she breathed deeply.

"Do you _remember_, Musiko?" Misa questioned, tilting her head slightly.

"Y-Yeah. But, _man_; regaining memories is a _bitch_!" Musiko announced, shaking her head. "Now, let me hold onto that notebook for now."

Misa agreed, Musiko taking the notebook that still touched her into her hands.

"Now, Misa, you give up ownership of _your_ Death Note and give it to Kuro who'll give ownership of it to me _temporarily_," the singer explained.

Misa held her notebook out to Ryuk dutifully, "I relinquish ownership of this note!"

Ryuk took the offered notebook, giving it to Kuro, and Kuro touched it to Musiko, then giving it to her.

"I accept ownership of this notebook," Musiko announced, more for show than anything.

"And that's all there is to it," the singer declared before checking her pocket watch. "I've got to get back to headquarters now."

* * *

Musiko grudgingly took to doing the work of Kira since that day. She had no way to get around it, but she assured herself that she wouldn't have to do the job for very long. She recalled that a lot of what she was doing now would eventually come to fruition later.

And meanwhile, Misa recalled Light's words, asking her to help him create the new world. She believed from everything that Light had told her now that he no longer loved Musiko, her place at his side as his assured to her by those words.

Now, dressed in goth attire, she walked the streets of the city, Musiko also walking through the city that day.

Both women had their own personal savior in mind...

* * *

"Careful what you _do_, 'cause _god_ is watching your every move," both women sang.

Misa sang, walking down the street, "Hold my hand in the dark street--"

"Hold my heart in your strong hands--" cooed Musiko at the same time, standing on a bridge.

"--for _if_ you _do_, I know that _I'll_ be safe," the women sang in harmony.

"Even if I'm far away _and_ alone--" sang the blonde, watching the outdoor video broadcast.

Musiko sang in unison, "Even if I stray far away, _all_ alone--"

"--I can be sure that you'll _find_ me there," the pair sang in time. "_This_, I know."

"You hold me close for a _time_, so _slow_," Musiko sang, watching the video broadcast.

Misa sang in unison as she stood on a bridge, "You draw me close for a _while_, so _quiet_."

"I tell you _everything_," sang the raven-haired woman.

The blonde sang in time, "You tell me _everything_."

"If I forget my true place--" the songstress sang.

Misa sang in unison, "If I forget what you say--"

"--then you'd come to me and tell me again," they chorused. "Yes, you'd tell me once _again_."

"But what happens when I know it _all_?" asked the younger woman in song.

Musiko sung in unison, "But what happens when you know it _all_?"

"Then what should I do after _that_?" they sang together. "What _then_?"


	17. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Mikami Teru loves to 'delete'. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** At the following point: '_Light Yagami has planned everything so that it will_'

The video I was using to do this chapter crapped out on me and skipped the end of the sentence, so I just put "work in his favor" because I think that sums up what she was trying to get at.

I can't go all over the interweb searching for another video of the dub, and I don't own the DVD with episode twenty-five yet, so you're gonna have to forgive me on that one.

**PS:** I managed to put the words "sad panda" in this chapter, and thusly lol'd.

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen - Queen of Hearts (Compassion)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- If the Death Note is stolen and the owner is killed by the thief, its ownership will automatically be transferred to the thief._

* * *

"This is the day; I can feel it and it was _even_ suggested in my morning Tarot session," Musiko said to both herself and Kuro, sitting at her vanity and brushing her long, raven-colored hair.

Recently, Yukisuzu had fled back to England for a few days to take care of some unspecified business. Without Near, Musiko hadn't seen much of the others as she mostly stayed on her floor, going over and over her plot to trick Misa Amane in her wildly running mind.

"Today is the day you will choose which human will _live_?" Kuro questioned, interested in the development.

Musiko smiled at her reflection as she answered, "Yes, indeed. Today is the day."

Setting down her brush, she stood and walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen, searching for a snack. After grabbing a bag of imported hot fries, she made her way to the fridge, finding a bottle of cherry Coca Cola.

Today, Musiko was wearing a plain, white shirt with long sleeves, a short-sleeved, black shirt over it that had the words "I believe you have my stapler." in bold, white font. As usual, she wore black jeans with a silver chain and her black sneakers below them.

"Mistress... Do you remember the _rule_ I told you that allows the human who uses one of my Death Notes to _kill_ another human who owns a Death Note?" asked Kuro, following her around.

She tugged her ear once, the signal now for "yes," but then ran to the door.

"No time! Gotta leave!" she called, as if to herself, running out the door.

Kuro's wolfish ears drooped as his shoulders slumped, "Cursed _surveillance_ cameras..."

* * *

After Musiko had left, Soichiro rushed into the main room of headquarters moments later.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "I heard criminals are being _killed_ again."

"There were sixteen deaths just yesterday," Aizawa replied from where he sat at the desk, facing a laptop. "All of them were broadcast _after_ Higuchi's death."

Matsuda muttered, standing at Aizawa's side as he watched the computer screen, "Immediately _after_, huh?"

"Do you think this could mean that Higuchi wasn't necessarily _Kira_ after all?" questioned the Chief.

"No," Light answered from nearby, behind his father. "It's safe to say that Higuchi was the one killing _criminals_ until we apprehended him."

"Then this means we're dealing with _yet another Kira_," Aizawa noted, both worried and mentally exhausted by how many Kiras were being talked about these days.

Matsuda groaned, hands to his head dramatically, "_Awww_, _man_! Not _again_!"

"_Damn_," muttered Light, fist clenched with faux righteous indignation. "_Damn_ you, Kira."

'_Another __**Kira's**__ appeared?_' pondered Ryuuzaki, the raven-haired detective holding a panda cracker between his thumb and forefinger. '_What's going __**on**__ here?_'

From behind them all, the unguarded Shinigami observed the humans.

'_I can't __**believe**__ this_,' thought Rem. '_It __**has**__ to be Misa..._'

"This killings began as soon as Misa was _free_, didn't they?" Ryuuzaki asked, then munched on his cracker.

"_Ryuuzaki_, are you _still_ going on about that?" Light demanded, defending the woman thereafter. "She has _nothing_ to _do_ with this."

He prompted, "_Think_ about it. This _started_ as soon as _Higuchi_ died."

"Mmm," the detective hummed in return, dumping the rest of his crackers onto the desk from their bag. "I suppose you're _right_."

"Oh, well," he sighed, staring down at the poor, defenseless panda crackers.

"If there _is_ another notebook floating around out there and someone is now using it to _kill criminals_," he said, stressing the last words as he crunched a helpless panda cracker to pieces with his thumb and forefinger, carrying on without skipping a beat, "I'll just have to bring that person to _justice_."

He then took bite after bite of his crackers, looking down to the Death Note before him which rested on the page that had a corner torn from it.

'_The Shinigami __**insisted**__ that it didn't know,_' he thought, hands moving to rest at his knees, '_but if someone __**were**__ able to kill simply by writing a __**name**__ on a torn __**piece**__ of the notebook, it's... not __**impossible**__, but there's that __**rule**__..._'

'_Whoever writes a name in this notebook has to write another name within thirteen __**days**__... otherwise they __**die**__,_' recalled the detective. '_Light Yagami and Misa Amane are both __**still alive**__..._'

He went over the rule once more, mind muttering, '_**Thirteen days**__..._'

'_That's the only __**problem**__,_' he concluded to himself.

Light then walked up behind him as he spoke, "Ryuuzaki, I've been _thinking_..."

'_If __**Nyoko**__ were here, she would make the appropriate reply of __**worry**__ to that __**particular**__ statement,_' the detective mused vaguely, listening to the younger man prattle on.

"Even if we _do_ manage to catch the person who's been writing names in the notebook," carried on the brunette, arms lifting in a thoughtful shrug, "will we _really_ be able to legally convict and _punish_ them for mass _homicide_?"

Matsuda looked to Light disbelievingly and with rising righteous indignation of his own, "_What_? Of _course_ we can convict them! - this guy's _intentionally_ writing names--"

At that brief moment, Ryuuzaki mused once more in a melancholy manner, '_Nyoko would most likely correct your __**gender**__ bias at this point..._'

"--in the notebook, _knowing_ that these people are going to die!" Matsuda finished passionately, arms all the while animatedly expressing his thoughts. "_Even_ if we don't plan on publicly acknowledging the notebook, the _least_ we could do is execute the killer!"

Wide-eyed, Rem gasped, knowing that Misa was once again in danger.

"It's not a very _humane_ way to _do_ things," Aizawa commented. "But the higher-ups would probably _want_ to take measures like that."

'_Nyoko would __**laugh**__ at that thought,_' the detective thought silently, then added his own thoughts to the conversation.

"If they admit to killing with the notebook, they'd receive the death penalty... _or_ life in prison at least," Ryuuzaki determined, eating another sad panda cracker.

He then added, with his mouth full no less, "That's the best that they could _hope_ for."

Rem stared at the despicable brunette of the group, mentally demanding in silent agitation, '_What are you __**thinking**__, Light Yagami - making Misa __**kill**__ again? She'll be __**caught**__, and once that happens, you'll __**also**__ be--_ '

Eyes wide, she realized the young man's intent, '_...So __**that's**__ what your plan __**is**__._'

'_You're truly __**disgusting**__,_' the Shinigami accused, Light looking to her from the corner of his eye with one of his evil grins. '_Light Yagami is __**certain**__ that I will do __**anything**__ to help Misa and __**save**__ her __**life**__... And at __**this**__ point, the __**only**__ way for me to save __**Misa**__ is to write Ryuuzaki's __**real**__ name in my notebook._'

'_And if I __**kill**__ Ryuuzaki,_' she thought with dread, '_it would mean that __**I**__ deliberately __**lengthened**__ Misa's life... and __**I**__ will die as __**well**__._'

'_Light Yagami has planned __**everything**__ so that it will work in his __**favor**__,_' thought the Shinigami bitterly.

Meanwhile, Light had some thoughts of his own...

'_What're you gonna __**do**__, Rem? You __**may**__ be a Shinigami, but you can't hide the fact that you __**care**__ for Misa,_' the young man mocked, his devilish grin not unnoticed by Rem. '_There's no __**way**__ you would turn your back on her __**now**__, after she's already __**halved**__ her life span __**twice**__._'

'_Come __**on**__,_' he mentally goaded. '_**Think**__ about Misa's __**happiness**__..._'

Now, Ryuuzaki was thinking of something else _entirely_, sighing to himself as he stared down at his last, lonely panda crackers, only four left.

'_It __**seems**__, in these hours, I can only think of __**her**__,_' he thought in his melancholy manner, eating the fourth panda cracker whole.

The second, interestingly, he simply decapitated, dropping its remaining body onto the desk away from the final pair.

'_I can only __**regret**__ that I only spoke to her those three simple, yet annoyingly __**important**__, little words __**once**__ when the feeling had only __**begun**__,_' the detective mused on, forefingers pushing the two remaining panda bears together. '_Three simple words... and a __**lifetime**__ of chances..._'

'_Why say them __**now**__?_' he pondered, crushing one cracker so that the cracks stemmed from the heart. '_Why __**tell**__ her those words when the point is moot?_'

'_I find it __**interesting**__ to think that if she had been in that room so many years ago... __**she**__ would be succeeding me now..._'

'_But then again, you __**knew**__ that all along, __**didn't**__ you, Quillish?_' the young man questioned silently, slightly smiling to himself.

He shook the bag the panda crackers had been in, hearing a noise, so he simply dumped the bag's contents again, curiously finding a missed panda that fell above the other pair.

'_This would be a very __**obvious**__ foreshadowing,_' he thought with a smile, '_if only I __**believed**__ in omens._'

* * *

Misa and Musiko sat in their favorite booth at their usual meeting place, the cafe, Ryuk and Kuro with them.

"Ready to trade notebooks?" asked the songstress, looking forward to the best trade-off of her life thus far.

Musiko smiled, though it seemed a little dark; she had to be _quick_ in tricking Misa, but she was sure she could do it. Poor Misa had always been a dollar short and a day late as far as being quick on the up-take went, after all.

"Ready!" Misa chimed, completely ignorant of the other woman's impure intentions. "What do we do _now_?"

"_First_, give me back the _fake_ notebook," the raven-haired woman explained patiently.

Misa dug the fake out of her purse, handing it to Musiko who checked it, making sure it was really the fake. Satisfied that it was, she put it in her purse.

"Okay, _now_ I'll give you your _original_ notebook back," Musiko said, slipping in her lie smoothly. "I'll lose my memories, you'll give my _original_ notebook to Ryuk, and he'll give it to me. Okay?"

"Got it!" Misa, ever happily, agreed.

Her enthusiasm made the songstress cringe unnoticeably; after all, she was tricking someone she once would have done anything to protect. But once she reminded herself that Misa's life was forfeit from the moment she began to follow _Kira_, she assured herself that this plan of hers had to be carried out, regardless of personal attachments.

Offering Misa a fake notebook that looked like the one Ryuk had given her, Musiko announced, "I relinquish ownership of this notebook."

She then pretended to be disoriented, watching from the corner of her eye as Misa held out her original notebook to Ryuk.

"I relinquish ownership of this notebook!" Misa declared, Ryuk taking it from her and handing it to Musiko as Misa became slightly disoriented.

"I accept ownership of this notebook," said Musiko darkly with a sneer, putting the notebook in her purse.

'_That was __**too**__ easy,_' the singer thought snidely.

"D-Did you _say_ something, Musiko?" Misa asked, regaining her senses.

Ryuk looked confused, "Hey, she's lost her _memory_! I don't _get_ it."

"No, it was nothing," Musiko replied to Misa, ignoring Ryuk for the moment, but discreetly winking at him. "You should go home and rest what with getting so _dizzy_, Misa. I have to get back to headquarters anyway."

"Yeah, you're right," said the blonde, sliding out of the booth. "I'll see you later!"

"Bye!" Musiko called, chuckling once Misa left her sight.

"Musiko... If you are planning to _kill_ Light with the Death Note I gave you, you must _know_ the consequences," Kuro began, wary of seeing her use the note he gave her in that way.

For once, he had addressed her by her alias, Musiko making note of it, but pushing away the curious thoughts it produced.

"_Whatever_ it is, there's not much _time_ left. I _have_ to use this notebook," she told him firmly, being careful to speak softly as not to arouse any other patron's suspicions.

"Even _so_," he replied persistently, "you must _know_ that the fate of one who uses my notebook to kill the owner of a _Death Note_ will become a _Shinigami_ after death, and that Shinigami must then give a Death Note to a human. At _that_ time, your Shinigami self would _also_ be unable to _kill_ that human by _any_ means, therefore keeping you in the human realm until someone _else_ kills the owner of that notebook."

"_What_?!" Musiko whisper-shouted, attempting to keep her voice level.

Kuro shrugged slightly, "This is the _price_ for bending such an important rule..."

"_Regardless_," she said bitterly, "I have no _choice_."

"So what happened, _huh_?" Ryuk finally prodded the singer, the pair seeming to have forgotten him entirely for the moment.

"I gave her a fake notebook that she probably just thinks was hers," Musiko explained. "Shinigami don't seem to be able to tell a _real_ Death Note from a _fake_ without _touching_ it... I tried it out by testing Kuro. Even _he_ couldn't tell by simply looking."

"_Woooow_," he replied, impressed. "Pretty clever. Guess that makes me _your_ Shinigami _now_."

"That's right," she returned with a smile. "For _now_, you can have fun watching me deal with L and Kira. Today will be the day that one of them _dies_, Ryuk. I find that rather _exciting_, don't _you_?"

"Hmmm... _Yeah_," he agreed. "But who's it gonna _be_?"

Musiko grinned at him, "What would be the fun in _telling_ you?"

The Shinigami laughed long and hard before saying, "_Ya know_, I think I'm going to _like_ following you. It's going to be _so_ interesting."

She laughed lightly, "I _hope_ so. But the fun won't be _over_ after one of them dies. You'll either go back to Light Yagami when I let L die, or you'll be following me while I help L in pursuing the _next_ Kira."

"Either way," she added with a grin, "there's more fun to be _had_, Ryuk."

* * *

Back at headquarters on her floor, Musiko went to the window, noticing the steady rain that had begun to fall becoming stronger and stronger.

"I can _sense_ something," she said, walking closer to the window and touching the glass. "It's... Ryuuzaki's energy _and_..."

"_And_?" Kuro urged her, standing beside her and turning his gaze from the view onto the human beside him.

Ryuk, meanwhile, was now wandering around her floor, dying of boredom.

Musiko looked up to her first Shinigami, her eyes seeming to also express the frown on her lips, though she looked away quickly as not to cause suspicion because of the cameras.

"Human energy is connected to emotional energy and Ryuuzaki's emotional energy is so strong that... I can _feel_ his loneliness, sadness, and... the feeling of betrayal."

Kuro looked out the window, wondering why she sensed such energies now, but he knew for certain that she cared deeply for the human known as L.

Not to be bothered by his new human's bout of sentimentality, Ryuk amused himself by looking through the woman's open underwear drawer, careful not to _touch_ anything. Human female underwear was actually _very_ interesting. Who knew women would wear lacy, black numbers under their clothes?

"You should go to him," Kuro replied. "I would say he _needs_ you now."

"I should go to him," she repeated his words, turning from the glass and running to her door.

* * *

Running down the stairs and into the main room, Musiko's sneakers squeaked as she slid to a halt, everyone's eyes turning to her.

"_Musiko_?" Light asked, looking concerned as he pushed his back off the wall he'd been leaning on. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Ryuuzaki?" she demanded, panting lightly from her run.

"Huh? _Well_... I think he went _up_ a few floors," Matsuda offered, shrugging a bit.

"Thank you, Matsu," she replied, turning in the direction of the elevators.

Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes, focusing on the trail of his energy.

"Musiko, what's wrong?" Light pressed for an answer once again.

She opened her eyes, looking to the young man.

"He _needs_ me," she replied simply, eyes sparkling in those brief moments.

She then turned and rushed up the stairs to the elevator, trying each floor until she found the roof.

"He's on the _roof_?" Musiko asked, ready to admonish him if he was standing out in the rain.

* * *

Making her way out onto the roof, Nyoko spotted Lawliet near a satellite dish, both looking up into the sky. She would have said it was _symbolic_ if she thought that he could hear her through the downpour he was standing in like an idiot.

Sighing, she trudged out into the rain, Lawliet noticing her and watching her walk over to him.

Once in ear shot, she admonished him, "What are you doing in the _rain_, stupid? You could get _sick_ if you stay too long."

"Oh, I'm not doing anything in _particular_, it's just... I hear the bell," he said, looking back up into the sky and then returning his gaze to her.

"The _bell_?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Yes," he replied, looking back up into the grey clouds. "The sound of the bell has been _unusually_ loud today... It's been ringing non-stop all day. I find it _very_ distracting... I wonder if it's a church - a wedding, or perhaps a..."

He simply trailed off, never finishing the thought, but she knew the suggested event.

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee," the woman replied, looking up into the sky.

She then looked down, remembering the poem which the saying had come from.

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine _own_ were. Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee," she recited, looking into Lawliet's black orbs which seemed unusually dull today. "John Donne, Meditation Seventeen."

Lawliet broke their gaze, the raven-haired detective staring down at the ground beneath him.

"Lawliet," Nyoko said, though he did not look up or even say a word.

"_You know_, no matter what happens today," she began, looking back up at the sky as her hands buried into her pockets, "I will always feel the same for you as I did on those days when the bell tolled on our first _meeting_, when it tolled the moment you said you _loved_ me and when it tolled on the day you _left_."

He looked to her, unsure of what to say to her sentimental confession.

"As _childish_ as it may be, that love never died and will probably live until the day I die," the raven-haired woman confessed, looking down from the stormy heavens to the drenched detective. "Whatever happens after this moment, I want you to know... I love you."

She laughed lightly, her soaked hair flat and sticking to her face.

"I guess that's not what any man needs to hear when the bell tolls for him, but it's the best I can do on the spot, drenched and cold with water in my eyes," the singer joked. "If you want something more mushy than _that_, you have to give me a few hours notice."

"_Lastly_, don't stand out here too long or you'll get sick," she warned. "That's all I have to say."

Those words said, she turned around, trudging back to the door.

She stopped, however, when arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, turning her around so that she faced the detective, his big, black eyes a little less dull as his lips met hers. They kissed slowly and passionately, Nyoko swearing time had stopped, but when they parted, she moved her lips beside his ear.

"You're going to hate me today," she whispered, "so consider that our farewell kiss."

When she moved back to look into his eyes, he noticed the water droplets that fell from them.

'_Is she...?_' he wondered, Nyoko breaking away from his embrace and running away, back into the building, and into the nearest elevator.

She pressed a button, backing into the left corner of the elevator and falling to a sit as she held her arms, Nyoko sobbing.

'_I love him so much,_' she thought, the doors of the elevator opening slowly. '_Why does it have to __**be**__ this way?_'


	18. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** Death Note is owned by Tsugumi Ooba, Takeshi Obata and whoever else owns it. I in no way claim it as my own; I just like to abuse the characters more than Jay and Silent Bob love to loiter. Any new characters are mine and any other new stuff is mine. I make no profit off of this silly fanfic and I don't intend any harm from it. No sue me, plz?

* * *

**A/N:** Ah, the final choice must be made!

First of all, this is the last part of the story. There _will_ be another story in the series - a part III - coming afterward.

Second of all, I haven't done an insert song that wasn't actually sung before, but I decided to use this perfect one I happened to find accidentally.

It's _Where I Stood_ by Missy Higgins.

Also, it's a short chapter, but it felt right to end it where I did.

Now, in case you get confused about the death part, I need to sum up everything that happened in the scenario for you. (I don't think you're stupid; I just think it's kind of confusing.)

However, it spoils the following chapter, so I suggest you come back here if you have a question about the death part. Your question will probably be the question to my answer below.

**SPOILER BELOW:**

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**Here's my answer:** Nyoko's Death Note can kill Light because it belonged to Kuro, Kuro being the son of the Great god of death. Because it was his, it has exceptions to the normal rules. It can kill those with a Death Note. Kuro only revealed this recently to Musiko, though it wasn't shown.

In this chapter, he explains the consequences of killing someone who owns a Death Note by means of the Death Note he gave her.

And also, Misa doesn't own a notebook anymore, so she could be killed by a Death Note without the above consequences coming into effect. Musiko got her notebook in secret, giving her own to Ryuk who gave it to Misa, so Ryuk was still hanging around Misa, but Musiko was writing the names of criminals in the notebook that was Misa's.

At the last minute, she gave a _fake_ notebook to Misa and Misa gave the _real_ notebook that originally belonged to Musiko to Kuro who gave it back to Musiko, Misa winding up with no Shinigami or memories or the Eyes.

(I took creative license for Shinigami not being able to tell real notebooks from fake ones at a glance so this could work. I _also_ took creative license in that Shinigami would have to _see_ the owner die to know they're dead. There's probably _other_ creative licenses in there, but it's so complicated that I'm getting a migraine. Gotta love creative license, though.)

Rem _thinks_ Misa was writing the names and not Musiko because she knows Musiko has obviously never done so before. She doesn't know that Musiko has pretended to be in cahoots with Kira. She also doesn't know, obviously, that Misa no longer owns a Death Note. Thus, Rem has a reason to kill L and Watari.

Hopefully, that was the answer to the question you had about the death part.

**If it's about what Light says, here's my explanation:**

"Ē tan ē epi tas" means "Either with it, or on it" or "Either with your shield, or upon it," meaning "either you will win the battle, or you will die and then be carried back home on your shield."

"It was said by Spartan mothers to their sons before they went out to battle to remind them of their bravery and duty to Sparta and Greece. A hoplite could not escape the field of battle unless he tossed away the heavy and cumbersome shield. Therefore losing one's shield meant desertion." (Plutarch, Moralia, 241)

Light says this as a way of asserting that he believed what he did was _right_ and that if he had it to do over again, he would do the same thing. Essentially, he'd make it out of the situation with his shield (meaning alive), or on it (meaning dead), but either way, he wouldn't throw down his shield and leave the fight.

Also, the fact that he spoke in _Greek_ is a slight Biblical allusion in replacement of the scene where L washes Light's feet (which was removed for making me gag because of how _yaoi_ it was, however unintentional). The New Testament, in which Jesus was _crucified_, was originally written in Greek. It alludes to how Light still views himself as a _savior_ figure, even when dying.

If your question wasn't answered above, ask in the reviews so other people can see it and I'll explain it to you.

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**END SPOILER**

* * *

**Angel of Death II: Second Trump**** (Death)**

_**by KuroShinigami13**_

* * *

**Epilogue - Second Trump (Death)**

* * *

**Death Note**

**How to Use It**

_- When the same name is written on more than two Death Notes, the note which was first filled in will take effect, regardless of the time of death._

* * *

Carefully, Musiko hoisted herself up from her place in the elevator, sniffling as she walked into the room where the monitors showed the surveillance camera footage, going down the stairs, Light spotting her first.

Trudging along, she held her arms tightly, water trailing behind her.

"_Musiko_?" Matsuda asked, finally noticing her.

She stopped, slowly looking to him.

"I'm fine," she assured him in a broken voice. "Everything will be better... when the rain stops."

Light watched her move to the back of the room, sitting down on a sofa and staring off into nothing.

'_She must've said her __**goodbye**__ to Ryuuzaki,_' he concluded of her behavior, watching Matsuda rush out of the room. '_**Soon**__, he'll be out of the way... Then I'll __**win**__ this game and I'll __**have**__ Musiko._'

A few minutes later, Matsuda came back in, bringing Musiko a pair of towels and a cup of cocoa that was lukewarm, just as she liked it.

"Thank you, Matsu," Musiko said gratefully, using one of the towels to dry her pant legs.

She gasped lightly when Matsuda suddenly started drying her hair, but said nothing of it.

'_**Idiot**__,_' Light thought with contempt, watching Matsuda fuss over the woman. '_She's __**completely**__ out of your league._'

* * *

The task force had found out surprising news just as Ryuuzaki came into the room, now dry from his earlier excursion.

"Ryuuzaki, what's the _meaning_ of all this?" Matsuda demanded.

On his way over, the detective caught sight of Musiko sitting alone on the couch before the coffee table in the back corner where she now faced the others, but he said nothing.

"You've somehow gotten approval from another country to use the notebook for an _execution_?" asked Matsuda, watching the detective sit in his seat before the monitors in his usual manner.

"Watari," Ryuuzaki said, looking at the computer screen which held a "W" in black, Old London font as always. "Excellent work. Thank you."

"Not at all," replied Watari via the computer.

"First things first," the detective began, "please make arrangements to transport the notebook immediately."

"Right."

* * *

'_I can __**feel**__ it,_' Musiko thought, jerking the top of her ear twice as she watched Rem, who was observing the others closely.

Kuro hurriedly opened his book, having reluctantly agreed to eliminate the second Kira himself so Rem would never learn of Musiko's betrayal, and wrote down her instructions to the letter as the men in the room conversed.

'_Misa Amane. Writes a short suicide note confessing that she is the second Kira and that Light Yagami is the __**true**__ Kira, and that she killed herself because Light was only using her,_' Kuro thought, summing up his work. '_She then commits suicide and dies._'

* * *

"Ryuuzaki, what are you trying to do?" Light questioned.

"I'm gonna try out the notebook for real," the young man announced, spoon tapping to the open notebook as the others gasped in shock.

"We can't do that!" Aizawa shouted in protest. "There's no point in testing it now when we already know the notebook is real!"

Matsuda added worriedly, "And besides, _who's_ gonna write the name? If someone starts writing in the notebook, they'll have to obey the thirteen-day rule and _keep_ writing names _forever_!"

* * *

Her cue was now, Musiko standing as all eyes were on Ryuuzaki, the songstress holding her Death Note which she retrieved from her purse and writing the first name to tragically grace its pages. Once finished, she looked up to the others.

* * *

"It's _already_ been worked out," Ryuuzaki assured Matsuda. "The person who will write in the notebook is a criminal scheduled to be executed in _just_ over thirteen days. If he's still _alive_ thirteen days from writing the name, he'll be pardoned from execution."

"But still," Soichiro commented, "to sacrifice a life--"

"We're _very_ close!" the detective shouted. "If we work this out, the entire _case_ will be solved."

* * *

"Light Yagami!" Musiko suddenly shouted, pointing her pen at him as she snapped her notebook closed.

The rest of the task force turned to face her, Rem turning as well as her hand had neared her own Death Note.

"I had a vision! _You_ caused Misa to _kill_ herself!" Musiko accused the brunette.

"_What_?" Rem asked in disbelief, eyes wide.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Light demanded, eyes wide as well as he saw her Death Note, panic filling the young man.

"Misa was like a little _sister_ to me and I _know_ you're using Rem to kill Watari and L!" the raven-haired womn declared. "For all these things, _you_ should be judged!"

L jumped to his feet, "Musiko! ...What have you _done_?"

"I swore to protect you, L, and there was no other way," she said insistently with a determined countenance. "I have _proof_ that Light is Kira."

Quickly, she flipped out her cell phone, going to her recording and playing the video as she pointed it to the others.

"You're the only one I can _trust_, Musiko," Light's voice said, loud and clear. "I _will_ kill Misa and you'll be my Eyes. There will only be me, the _first_ Kira, and you, the _second_ Kira. I will be the _god_ of the new world and you will be my goddess. Together, we'll be the _true_ Kiras, and we'll make the world a better place."

Closing her phone, she slipped it into her back pocket once more.

"Now you know for _certain_ that Light is Kira," she assured the rest of the task force. "I've written his name in my Death Note which _can_ and _will_ kill him, regardless of a specific rule to the use of the notebook."

"So _Kuro's_ notebook is the _exception_ to the _rule_ that a Death Note owner cannot be _killed_ by a Death Note _other_ than their _own_," Rem concluded, looking to the wolfish Shinigami who stood behind his Mistress.

Light could only stare at the woman in shock.

Musiko then checked her pocket watch, counting down, "Three... two... one..."

Her eyes then lifted, staring at Light expectantly with no hint of remorse.

Suddenly, there was a stabbing pain in Light's chest, the young man lurching forward, falling to the floor.

"Light!" Soichiro shouted, not at all fazed by the evidence against his son as he rushed to the young man, moving the young man's head into his lap.

Light chuckled, staring up at his father, "Sh-She got me..."

"Ē tan ē epi tas," he gasped out his final words.

Musiko sighed deeply, clutching her notebook to her chest; the final choice between L and Kira was finished at last.

L stood there, torn between tackling Musiko and rushing to Light.

His eyes then focused on Musiko as he thought amid the panic and chaos around him, '_Is __**this**__ what you meant when you said I would hate you today?_'

Aizawa and Mogi turned their attention to Musiko, both rushing toward her. Even so, they were stopped by Kuro who vanished from behind Musiko, then phased into view, standing in front of the songstress.

The Shinigami lifted his bony, fur-clad hand, cutting through the air with one swift motion, a thin, black wave riding forth and knocking them back to the other side of the room. Each one hit against the wall, Kuro's hand falling.

"No one will touch my Mistress," Kuro informed the rest of the men, Musiko peering around him.

"_Kuro_?" she asked, confused and intrigued. "I didn't know you were able to show yourself at _will_."

"There is much you've yet to learn," he told her, eyes watching the men in the room carefully. "_For instance_, I am not bound by all the rules put forth for Shinigami, as you well know. I may appear to whomever I choose and I may kill humans by force. I may also _protect_ whomever I wish by force or with the use of my Death Note."

"There are other exceptions that you will learn in time," the Shinigami assured her.

Musiko took in that information silently, then noticed Rem.

"Rem," she said, the other Shinigami watching her. "I knew the danger Misa was in regarding her use of the Death Note you gave her. _However_, I tricked her today and had her give up ownership of her Death Note, giving her a fake. Apparently, Shinigami can't tell by simply _looking_ that a Death Note is fake. I did this to protect her today because I could sense that something was going to happen, but I wasn't certain of what would occur."

"As it _stands_," she concluded, "I own Misa's Death Note."

"She speaks the truth," Kuro assured Rem. "Join us, if you wish, or _relinquish_ your claim to the Death Note belonging to the task force to me."

"I suppose that if I am to _believe_ that Misa is no longer _alive_, I owe your Mistress for her _attempt_ to protect her and for getting _rid_ of that _Light Yagami_," Rem reasoned openly, still unhappy with the entire situation and wary of trusting another human.

"Misa Amane is dead; of that, I am certain," confirmed Kuro, lifting his hand, palm upward.

A notebook phased into the room, floating above his hand.

"I will _join_ you," Rem decided, "if _only_ to _repay_ your Mistress."

Kuro gave a slight nod, giving the floating notebook which had once belonged to Misa Amane to Musiko who held it with her other as Rem went over to them.

The black-furred Shinigami then lifted his hand once more and summoned the Death Note that the task force had acquired to him.

It floated to him and he handed it to Rem, Rem handing it over to Musiko.

"I accept ownership of this Death Note," said the raven-haired woman, bowing to Rem respectfully.

"It seems you now have _three_ Death Notes," Kuro said with a toothy grin. "But there is _another_ somewhere close; I can sense it. I believe _Ryuk_ is the Shinigami who brought it to earth."

Phasing through the wall that had kept him hidden from Light and Rem's sight all day, just as Musiko instructed, Ryuk entered the room, seeing Light had been the unfortunate party to die.

Musiko held onto her three Death Notes, smirking as she replied to Kuro, "It _figures_ he would bring a second Death Note with him, but one has to wonder how he managed to acquire _two_ extra notes."

She looked around, spotting Ryuk, the woman asking, "How _did_ you manage that, Ryuk?"

The Shinigami grinned, chuckling, "That's _my_ little secret."

Musiko smirked, looking away and back to the men in the room.

"Ryuuzaki! What is the _meaning_ of this?!" Soichiro finally demanded.

Musiko looked to Soichiro, replying, "I _knew_ your son was Kira. I had to get close to him, so I pretended to be in _love_ with him and completely _devoted_ to Kira and his cause. I also learned that Misa Amane was the _second_ Kira."

"Rem was protective of Misa," she explained, then slipped in her lie. "Because of Light, she _died_, so I killed him in retribution. I own your _son's_ original Death Note, _Misa Amane's_ original Death Note, and the Death Note I was given by the _son_ of the Great god of death."

"_What_?" he asked in shock.

"_You're_... a _Kira_?" Matsuda asked in surprise.

"It's my mission to protect Ryuuzaki, even if this means using the Death Note's power," the woman told them both before looking down to her newest Death Note. "I've used the Death Note at one point to kill criminals for Misa, which means I'm _cursed_ and that I can go to neither Heaven nor Hell, which I now know is a _fallacy_, but nevertheless..."

"A fallacy?" echoed Matsuda in question.

"Yes," replied Musiko, still looking to her new notebook and explaining her thoughts. "Humans all go to the same place - Nothingness. Heaven and Hell are convenient _lies_. But these are discussions for _another_ time..."

Looking up, she explained a rule of the Death Note, "The human who owns a Death Note _must_ use it. My _original_ Death Note, however, was previously unused because the rules don't always apply to my first Shinigami. _Kuro_ - that's my first Shinigami's name - has told me all of the rules of the Death Note at one point and I've written them down."

"Humans aren't generally meant to know _all_ of the rules, so I can't tell all of them to the task force, but I'll give them out when appropriate," she compromised, quickly flipping through her newest Death Note before closing it. "For _now_, all Death Notes we acquire will be my burden."

"I _will_ kill anyone who is a Kira and anyone who attempts to _kill_ Ryuuzaki," she said matter-of-factly. "I will _not_ do the work of the first and second Kiras; _t__hat_ much I can promise."

"We'll begin formulating a plan of _action_," she began, looking to Light's fallen form as she paused briefly, "after proper services are held."

Her midnight blue gaze moved to Soichiro, the singer addressing him, "I'm sure you need time to be with your family, and to make the proper arrangements... If you decide to _continue_ to work on the task force fairly quickly afterward, I'm sure we'll all agree to _wait_ a few days."

"I'm sure you already have this in mind, but you should tell everyone that _Kira_ killed Light," the raven-haired woman suggested. "That would be the _truth_, after all."

"Knowing your ideals and beliefs, you probably want to exact _revenge_ against me in a legal manner, or something of the sort," she carried on, seemingly unaffected by the thought. "Should you decide to do so, I won't stop you so long as you wait until I've acquired all the Death Notes and can pass the burden of them to one _trustworthy_ party."

Shrugging slightly, she added, "But if you ask _me_, I'll be punished more by living than dying."

"You... killed my son," Soichiro muttered, the weight of that reality hitting hard upon his shoulders as he looked down to Light who still rested against his lap.

He then turned his sight up to her, the pair locking gazes.

"And yet... you chose to enter a situation in which you _knew_ you couldn't win," he added, looking back down to his son.

"_Chief_," Aizawa said softly.

The Chief's eyes returned to the woman, looking fierce.

"But you still _murdered_ my son," he declared, Musiko never batting an eye. "What you've done is unforgivable."

Musiko shrugged, "I don't _care_ for your forgiveness, nor do I care for your ideals."

"I did what had to be done to save the lives of two people I _care_ about," she defended. "And by _doing_ so, I consequently saved an untold amount of others."

"'One life for a thousand'," she repeated the saying she'd promulgated to the task force once before.

"Do you even feel _remorse_?!" the older man demanded, shouting at her for some kind of reaction that would prove her humanity to him.

"No," Musiko said simply, his look of pure outrage prompting her to explain herself. "Your son was corrupted by evil; he was no longer the young man you _knew_ and _loved_. He was just a vessel for evil. Owning a Death Note eventually _corrupts_ most souls, I'm certain."

"As for my _own_ soul," she continuing, gazing off as she paused in thought, then replied as her eyes trailed back to him, "I'm finding that _love_ is the _true_ opposite and combatant of evil."

* * *

Days later, funerals were held for both of the previous Kiras, the members of the task force going to both Misa and Light's funerals.

Although Lawliet _knew_ Light was Kira, Misa the _second_ Kira, and that _he_ was the one who should have died that day by Light's scheme, he went to the younger man's funeral with Nyoko.

The two left together in a car driven by Watari.

The ride seemed long and was silent until Nyoko finally spoke.

She looked over to him, meeting his gaze which had been on her all along, and asked abruptly, "Do you think I should be sentenced to _death_?"

He chewed his thumb, thinking over the question and replying, "Honestly, I don't believe you've done anything wrong."

Nyoko looked forward again, changing the subject, "There's _another_ Kira. If we _find_ them, they'll die. If I see their _face_, they'll die. I can _promise_ you that."

"_However_," she began, looking to him once more, knowing Rem was following out of earshot, "I want you to know that I _didn't_ write down Misa's name. So far, I've had my first notebook for quite a long time without using it. But I _admit_, my first Shinigami wrote down her name in his personal notebook by my request."

"I own _three_ Death Notes in my possession," the woman informed him, looking away and down to her hands. "One is the original notebook found by Light, so the Shinigami who followed him when he regained his memories now follows me. My _first_ Shinigami is named Kuro, my _second_ Shinigami is Ryuk, and my _third_, of course, is Rem."

"Ryuk loves apples, which explains the message Light made using prisoners' deaths," she added as an aside.

She then paused, gathering her thoughts which were frantically running in all directions.

Nyoko met his gaze once more, declaring resolutely, "You cannot _stop_ me from carrying out my plans or I will be _forced_ to kill you, no matter how much I don't want to go through with that threat."

Her eyes turned away, the singer carrying on, "From now on, _I_ will be in charge of this investigation, and I _cannot_ allow you to branch off to work on your own. I don't need _anyone_ interfering with my own work."

* * *

_I don't know what I've done  
Or if I like what I've begun  
But something told me to run  
And, honey, you know me - it's all or none_

* * *

"I _know_ you must hate me for keeping these secrets and interfering with your game," she told him, looking out her window as the world passed by. "And I'm sure you're not happy that I threatened to _kill_ you if you got in my _way_ either."

* * *

_There were sounds in my head  
A little voice is whispering  
That I should go and this should end  
Oh, and I found myself listening_

* * *

Her head turned, midnight blue eyes staring into the young detective's pitch black orbs, the singer adding, "But this was a game I knew you would lose without my help. For the _most_ part, and at the _base_ of my reasoning, everything I've done has been for you whether you like it or not."

* * *

_'Cause I don't know who I am, who I am without you  
All I know is that I should  
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you  
All I know is that I should_

* * *

"But I've gone so far for you only for you to _hate_ me," Nyoko said with a humorless laugh, eyes turning away. "I can't keep chasing after you or I'll just continue running in circles..."

"And I don't know who I _am_ without you," the young woman added thoughtfully, "though I probably _should_."

* * *

_'Cause she will love you more than I could  
She who dares to stand where I stood_

* * *

"That's why I've decided that after I have all the notebooks I need to collect, I'm officially _declining_ your offer as your permanent personal assistant," the singer stated firmly with conviction.

* * *

_See I thought love was black and white  
That it was wrong or it was right  
But you ain't leaving without a fight  
And I think I am just as torn inside_

* * *

"I'll be working with _N__ear_ officially instead," she told the raven-haired detective, "and if he'll _accept_ me even after everything I've _put_ him through, I intend to _marry_ him as he once _asked_ me to."

* * *

_'Cause I don't know who I am, who I am without you  
All I know is that I should  
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you  
All I know is that I should_

* * *

"And the woman that could fill my place and would stand where I stood could love you more than _I_ could, Lawliet," added the songstress, gaze turning to the onyx-eyed man.

* * *

_'Cause she will love you more than I could  
She who dares to stand where I stood_

* * *

"But if you ever _call_ for me," she assured him, "I'll still be there for you as your friend, if you ever decide to _forgive_ me for all of this."

* * *

_And I won't be far from where you are if ever you should call  
You meant more to me than anyone I've ever loved at all  
But you taught me how to trust myself  
And so I say to you, this is what I have to do_

* * *

"I'm giving _up_," she confirmed her defeat, looking out her window once more to hide the pain of those three words. "I'm _letting_ myself let you go... so I can find out who I am."

* * *

_'Cause I don't know who I am, who I am without you  
All I know is that I should  
Oh, and I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you  
All I know is that I should_

* * *

"And I hope you find someone that can love you like I _couldn't_," Nyoko added, "- someone stronger than I'll _ever_ be - someone that can make you _happy_."

* * *

_'Cause she will love you more than I could  
She who dares to stand where I stood  
Oh, she who dares to stand where I stood_

* * *

Lawliet's eyes widened; he _knew_ he was finally hearing her give up, but his mouth was frozen shut. For some reason, he couldn't even _object_, and there was a pain in his chest he vaguely remembered as being what it felt like to be heartbroken.

He slowly looked away from Nyoko, staring forward and chewing incessantly on his thumb.

Then, realization came to the raven-haired detective.

Nyoko was better off with a more socially stable man who wasn't unable to show his feelings or so inept at the ins and outs of being in a relationship. Who better than his _successor_ to show the songstress the kind of person and love that she needed? This was bad for _him_, but very _good_ for her.

After all, he didn't deserve her love, where as Near _did_. The younger man had always been her friend and was able to understand, help and protect her. He also didn't smother her or keep her on a leash to save her from the world. Near knew how to let her be free.

Nyoko deserved all of those qualities in a lover as far as Lawliet was concerned, but he simply couldn't be the one to provide them.

However, he knew everything between them would never truly be over until he finally lied to her for the first and last time. And although he knew the words would break his and her heart alike, he told them to her bravely with the intent of allowing her to move on and have a happy life.

"That sounds like a good plan," he began as he looked to her, then added the most painful, heart-wrenching words he'd ever been forced to say, "because I don't love you, Nyoko."

Nyoko looked back at him a moment, hearing the words that ended everything. He hated her, and any chance there may have been that he would ever love her again was completely gone. She felt as if her heart were in her throat and smashed into millions of pieces.

She simply muttered as she looked away, "I know, Lawliet."

Both the detective and songstress turned their gazes to the city outside their respective windows, both lost in melancholy and their own silent, but profound pain.


End file.
